A/N: sorry for the wait. got grounded from writing lmao. made this chapter a bit longer
17th of July, 1994
Ginny,
I have a story for you and if your reaction is anything like Moony and Padfoot's, you're going to love it.
So, about a week ago I met this girl in the café in the local village. We talked a bit after she could see the moving pictures in the Prophet. I'm sure you know that unless you've got some magic in you, that's not possible. So, I guess she's probably a squib or something, but she knew absolutely nothing about magic. I even did some in front of her and she thought I was doing some elaborate muggle card trick! Anyway, apparently, I'm the essence of charming because she gave me the number to her telephone. I'm sure you know what those are but basically, it's a muggle way to communicate. Anyways, she told me to call her if I wanted a tour of the village.
Now, I came home with the phone number and told Moony and Padfoot and both figured she had just asked me out, so I was wound up into thinking that as well. So, a few days ago I met her in the village, and we hung out all day and the motherly thoughts told me I should kiss her, so I did, right? Well, turns out she isn't allowed to kiss people until she's 18.
Now I would like to take a moment to mention the fact that I did not know of this rule prior to our snogging session. And yes, it was a snogging session. She most certainly kissed me back, so either I was really THAT bad, or she forgot because of my freshly pickled toad eyes.
Anyway, she told me we should stay friends which if I'm being honest, (and having had a few days to digest the afternoon) is probably a good thing. Sure, she's pretty but she's three years older than me (THREE) and I can't say I felt much other than an uncomfortable nagging at the back of my head. Which could very well be my motherly thoughts, but she told me she had put up mental shields, so I suppose I was subconsciously thinking it wasn't right. Anyway, now I have a friend near home which is brilliant. I was thinking about explaining the magical world to her as clearly, she's a squib. What do you think? Maybe we could meet and explain it to her together? (After my birthday of course.)
I do want to see you, and Ron, and Hermione. But you more so because I've been talking to you.
The plan for your early birthday gift is complete, so you better get ready.
Tell me about what's happening at the Burrow. And what's going on with you. I'm never bored at my new home; I hope it's the same for you.
Good day,
Signed: Harry James Potter.
Ginny finished the letter and laughed. She wouldn't lie and say that Harry having gone out with a girl had not stirred a raging jealousy that could not, and would not be satisfied any time soon, but the fact that it had gone so terribly wrong, and that Harry had no hand in the catastrophe was absolutely hilarious. She picked up her quill and began to write back.
Harry,
First date with a muggle (pretty much a muggle) and you already let the Potter mayhem ruin it. Although I must admit that I am quite surprised at the fact that you had no hand in its failure. From the gist of what you explained to me, the date went pretty well. (You'll need to give me more details later.) so don't beat yourself up over not knowing she had a weird rule over snogging.
My summer has, unfortunately, been incredibly boring. From what you say in your letters, living with Moony and especially Padfoot sounds incredible. Ron is getting on my nerves. He keeps moaning about not hearing from you and he's got mum in a right state. Honestly, can you not send him one letter? It is everything in me not to take these letters from you and wave them in his face. Could you please send a letter to mum at least? She thinks you're dead.
Okay, this early birthday gift. You better not be spending too much money on it. I don't want to be a bought friend.
I'm being called down for dinner, I'll write back after your next letter.
Love,
Ginny
21st of July, 1994
Remus Lupin walked through the halls of the Ministry of Magic towards the head office for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This was the final step in the most rigorous, methodically planned out event the Marauder's had ever prepared for. Unfortunately, the final step in the master plan was also the most difficult. Earning a meeting with Amelia Bones was not an easy task, for she was a very busy woman, especially with the recently re-escaped Sirius Black. However, Remus had let it slip that he had valuable information on Black's whereabouts, and Bones had instantly jumped on the opportunity for a meeting.
Reaching the office door with the finely engrained nameplate, Remus knocked, and the door was flung open. The stony face of Amelia Bones stared at Remus for a whole minute before she opened the door further and gestured for Remus to follow.
'It's good to see you after so long Madam Bones.' Remus said, smiling kindly at his old classmate.
'Yes, a pleasure.' she said briskly. 'So, let's get straight to the point. You have information on Black? I must say, I find it odd that you requested a private meeting. I remember you being friends with Black back at Hogwarts. Has he reached out to you?'
Remus sighed. He should have anticipated her no-nonsense way around the situation. 'You could say we've made contact, yes.'
Her eyebrows raised slightly, but that was the only outward sign of a reaction from the Department head. 'Made contact?' she asked.
'Yes. Before we continue, I'd like to make sure this room is properly warded, and we are well and truly alone. May I?' Remus asked as he held out his wand. She nodded and Remus ran a few diagnostic spells before casting every silencing spell he knew on the door.
'Alright. I'd say that's as good as we're going to get.' he said as he sat back in his chair across from Amelia.
'Please, begin.' she said without preamble.
'Are you aware that Sirius Black never received a trial?' Sirius had figured it would be a good idea to open with the more pressing matter before explaining his innocence. Remus hadn't agreed at first and it was Harry who had told them that a high-ranking ministry official was probably more concerned with their profession than the intricacies of Sirius's innocence.
Amelia's eyes bulged. 'Are you quite sure?' she all but whispered.
'Yes.' Remus replied. 'And I can also assure you, that Sirius Black is truly innocent of his crimes. But that is neither here nor there, I have a plan for all of that. We need you to call Sirius to trial, and we need the whole Wizengamot present.'
Amelia's mouth dropped open in a brief break in the constant emotionless mask before quickly, and firmly, reapplying the mask. 'And how do you know he is not lying?' she said stonily.
'Because I, and three other witnesses, saw Peter Pettigrew.' Her eyes bulged once again, and she didn't hide her shock. 'A man we all thought dead at the hands of Sirius, most definitely alive and responsible for all of the crimes Sirius has been accused.'
'Do you have Pettigrew?' she said quietly.
'No, Harry Potter believed it was best for us to bring him into custody, however in transit at the end of last June, Pettigrew escaped.'
Amelia stood up suddenly. 'Harry Potter? Is he one of these witnesses?'
Remus nodded. 'Yes. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley can all confirm the nights events. I know for a fact that Harry will testify under Veritaserum and would be happy to donate his memories to the court. He is excited to have his godfather back.' Remus finished with a smile. 'I trust you will uphold the law, Madam Bones.'
Amelia nodded absent mindedly before turning to Remus. 'Do you have a date you'd request for the trial?'
'The 31st of July if you would be so kind.' he said.
'It will be arranged. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Mr. Lupin. It is my job to uphold the law. I will make sure Mr. Black receives proper compensation.'
Remus held up a hand. 'No, Madam Bones, the only compensation he wishes is to be able to act as Harry's godfather the way James and Lily intended. Clear his name, that is enough.'
Amelia nodded and sighed. 'This is going to be a disaster.' She muttered quietly. All efforts in reigning in her emotions gone.
Remus chuckled. 'Well, I might be able to convince Sirius to put in a good word for you, in the very least. He has already refused to put in any word for Fudge however
To Remus's surprise, Amelia blushed. 'Yes, well, I really must get to work. Only ten days to go.'
Remus smiled kindly. 'Thank you for this Madam Bones. I shall see you in ten days' time.'
An aching and noticeably pale Harry Potter walked down the lane to Elizabeth's café in Crail. Tomorrow was the full-moon, and Harry had already felt many of the effects. For today, however, his upcoming transformation was not of great concern. He reached the door and pulled it open.
'Oi, Edwards!' Harry shouted into the empty café. 'You've been closed for an hour!'
Elizabeth's face shot up from behind the counter. 'Oh shite, Harry I'm sorry.'
Harry rolled his eyes. The girl's allowed to swear but snogging is off the table. 'You've got commitment issues. You know that?'
'Yes, well my mum had an affair with some Irish bloke before I was born so I suppose it runs in the family.' She retorted absentmindedly as she gathered various items from behind the counter to stuff into her rucksack.
Harry and Elizabeth had continued to spend time with each other after their unfortunate premiere outing. Harry had stopped by the café nearly every day to sit at the counter talking about non-magic related goings-on, and she would do the same. Harry would often bring muggle cards and they'd play endless rounds of whatever struck their fancy. Yesterday had brought the construction of a truly amazing card castle, which unfortunately had to be demolished when Elizabeth's father had come in. On her breaks they'd walk around the village and gather provisions for the café. Harry always helped and had been offered a job by Elizabeth's father, but Harry insisted that he was being tutored at home and couldn't afford more commitments. He insisted that he would continue to volunteer-aid the café if he was bored and would consistently refuse any payment. So far, the plan to be embedded permanently into Mr. Edwards's good books was working flawlessly, just as Sirius had instructed. Harry and Elizabeth had formed a sort of antagonistic friendship in which none of their insults ever carried any weight. It reminded Harry of how Ginny talked with her brothers. 'Edwards family drama is always an exciting conversation topic. Do share.' said Harry as he hopped up to sit on the counter and lean against one of the enormous coffee grinders.
Elizabeth glared at Harry before grinning. 'Nah. My mum is a bit of a bitch but 't's'alright. She's never in town anyways.'
'Never in town? How many other Irish blokes are there?' Harry laughed.
Elizabeth punched Harry in the arm. Hard. 'Don't call my mum a whore.' She paused before smiling again. 'Only I get to call her that. Coz that's what she is.'
Harry laughed while rubbing his arm. 'Okay, Edwards, really, are we getting out on the water or not.'
'Keen then, are we?' she said as she hoisted the bag onto her shoulders and jumped up and over the counter. Harry slid off and followed her out to the high street. The beginnings of dusk were settling in across the sky and Harry's insides were tingling with anticipation. The wolf vehemently refused to sleep during the night in the days leading to the transformation, and when night fell, Harry was wide awake and energetic as hell.
'Well, yeah. You promised you'd teach me and it's late enough to go unnoticed but not dark enough to be dangerous. I want to learn.' Harry said, practically skipping alongside Elizabeth.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. 'You're way too enthusiastic. It's only a boat.'
Harry slowed to walk and stuffed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from fidgeting. 'Yes, well, I've never been on one before.'
'City boy problems. Besides, I need the keys first. I told you I'd have to get permission from my Da before any of your boat fantasies can come true.'
Harry sighed dramatically. 'Oh, that's easy. Your father practically worships me. I can just ask nicely, and he'll hand the keys over, no problem.'
Elizabeth laughed. 'My father absolutely despises you. He thinks you're trying to capture my innocence. Only reason he keeps offering you a job is coz he wants to keep track of your every move.'
Harry gulped. He didn't really know what she meant by stolen innocence, but he felt it was rather ominous. 'I'm no thief so your innocence is quite safe.'
Elizabeth roared with laughter as they continued to walk towards her home. Harry hadn't really meant to make a joke, but he figured this was a better reaction than her punching him again. They continued their conversation up until Elizabeth pulled the key out from under the welcome mat and unlocked the door. 'Listen up Potter.' she said in a no-nonsense tone. 'You're having dinner with us tonight. I want you to tell my father that you are not interested in me. And you have absolutely no plans on dating me. Hell, you can tell him you're gay, but I'd reckon that lowers our boat ride chances. Just make sure he knows that you are not going to do anything… unholy with me.'
Harry sniggered. 'Your dad's such a lovely chap. Right, how's this. "Hello Mr. Edwards, thanks for dinner. Oh, and your daughter is disgusting, and I have no interest in her. Can I ride your boat unsupervised now?"'
Elizabeth stared at Harry for a moment before nodding. 'Yeah, that works.' She opened the door and gestured for Harry to follow.
'Since when is snogging considered unholy, by the way?' Harry whispered as he took off his shoes.
'Let's just say my Da has his own little religion.' Elizabeth muttered quietly.
'Oh, like a cult? Ow, fucking hell Liz that hurt.'
Harry and Elizabeth walked through the small cottage and arrived in a cozy dining room and kitchen. Mr. Edwards turned and saw Harry. He smiled but now that Harry was paying attention, he noticed that the smile never met his eyes.
'Fuck.'
'Don't say anything stupid.'
'Good evening Mr. Edwards. Elizabeth invited me to dinner, and she said you said it was alright so I'm here now.' Harry blurted awkwardly as he fought the urge to rub the back of his neck.
'All good 'Arry, all good.' said Mr. Edwards jovially. 'Sit down! Everythin's almost ready.'
Harry and Elizabeth sat down across from each other at the small four-seater table. Mr. Edwards sat at the head and placed three plates of fish in front of their respective owners. 'So how was work?' he asked Elizabeth.
She swallowed and shrugged. 'Not busy. Harry showed up an hour after closing to remind me I needed to head home.'
Mr. Edwards turned to Harry, and he could have sworn he'd seen Mr. Edwards glare at him in his peripheral vision. 'Well thank the Lord for that.' he said quietly as he turned back to his fish.
'Erm, say dad, what are the odds that you'd lend me the keys to the boat and me and Harry could-'
'Absolutely not.' Mr. Edwards said as he slammed his hand onto the table. Harry flinched and stared wide-eyed across the table. Trying to ask 'What now' non-verbally. 'I am not going to have my own daughter go out to do… whatever it is you two do out on my boat!'
Harry's brain was working on overdrive with input from his mother as he tried to figure out something to say.
'Harry and I are only friends, dad. You know that.'
'I call bullshit. I've seen the way you two look at each other.' Mr. Edwards's face was changing shades from red to purple at an alarming rate.
'I'm gay.'
Elizabeth and Mr. Edwards both turned to Harry, with very different reactions. Elizabeth's jaw hung loose and seemed amused. Mr. Edwards seemed horrified.
'Get out of my house.' he said quietly.
Harry, sensing danger from years of dodging his uncle's hand was about to stand and run, but his mother was clearly enjoying herself far too much because when he tried to tell his body to rise it wouldn't move.
'Mum, please.'
'No, Harry, talk to him. This is priceless.' In the days leading up to the full moon, Lily had been rather… reckless. And she had a lot more control over Harry's emotions and body than before. This made for some amusing moments, but others, such as his current situation, were rather dangerous.
Harry held his hands up and stood up from the table. 'Well, no, not really. I only said that, so you'd calm down but clearly that didn't work.'
'So, you're a liar then.' said Mr. Edwards as he rose from his chair.
'Er, no, it was… a joke. Get it?' Harry tried to smile but it most certainly came off as a grimace. Elizabeth snorted into her glass of water she was using to cover her smile.
'No. And I don't find it funny either.'
'Well, erm, that is… unfortunate. Really though, I'm not interested in your daughter like that. She's the only person around my age in town and I haven't got many friends. Not during the summer, at least. I go to a boarding school. And well, they all live in England, so I don't get to see them. I would never date Liz because, well, for one thing I'd never get to see her, but I also have no interest in her.' Harry spurted out his thoughts to the room as its occupants stared at Harry. 'But I can assure you that I'm not gay.'
'So, you're not interested in my daughter whatsoever?' said Mr. Edwards quietly.
Harry, sensing danger added. 'Not that she isn't… y'know… attractive. It's just, well, I'm not interested in her like that.'
'Smooth, Potter.'
'You could have helped.'
'Good. Keep it that way. I don't want the likes of you dating my daughter.'
'Understood. Completely understood. I wouldn't want myself dating my daughter either. N-not that I have a daughter, obviously. I'm just saying that I only want to be friends… with Liz.' said Harry awkwardly.
Mr. Edwards nodded and turned to Elizabeth. 'I stand by my decision. No boat.' And with that, he left the room.
Elizabeth grimaced sadly at Harry and picked up her plate. Harry picked up his and Mr. Edwards' and walked to the sink where he began to rinse them.
They worked in silence for a while before Harry shut off the tap and leaned against the counter facing Elizabeth. 'I take back what I said about not being a thief.'
'What?' Elizabeth said, aghast.
'We could always steal the keys. Or rather, borrow them for an extended period of time.'
Elizabeth gaped at Harry. 'Won't work. He'll notice that they're missing.'
'Ah, but wasn't it you who told me that your father is a raging alcoholic who wouldn't notice if say, a different set of keys were hanging where his precious boat keys were? After-all, would he truly be able to distinguish them?' whispered Harry. A mischievous glint in his eyes.
'Oh yes! Take the keys.'
'Something is definitely wrong with you if you actually want me to take them, mum. You alright?'
'Yes, more than alright. Go, take the keys. Hang the housekeys as a decoy.'
Elizabeth seemed to be pondering the idea before her eyes lit up. 'Yeah. I'd say adventure is calling to us. Da's probably already on his first beer so why don't we take the keys now and leave through the front door. Could leave it unlocked.'
Harry smiled. 'Excellent plan Miss Edwards. Where are your housekeys?'
'My pocket. Why?'
'Decoy. Hang it on the boat keys' hook and we can leave.'
'Brilliant.'
Harry walked into the living room and crossed his arms staring at the tv with Mr. Edwards. Harry pointed to the tv and said, 'What's this?'
Mr. Edwards turned and looked up at Harry, who was standing next to his chair. 'Some romantic comedy shite.' he said as he took a long sip from his bottle.
'Mint.' said Harry as he tried to think of something to talk about as he waited for Elizabeth to set everything up. 'I don't watch much television.'
Mr. Edwards raised an eyebrow and turned back to the screen. Just when Harry was beginning to become even more uncomfortable, Elizabeth walked into the room. 'C'mon Harry, let's go.'
'Where're you off to?' said Mr. Edwards.
'Dunno yet. Just for a walk I suppose.'
'Thank you for dinner Mr. Edwards. It was fantastic.' said Harry as he all but ran after Elizabeth to the door. He received an agitated grunt in reply. After the door swung shut Harry turned to Elizabeth. 'You got the keys?'
Elizabeth pulled the keys from her pocket and grinned at Harry. 'Come on, Potter.'
Harry laughed and ran after her towards the docks. Remus had described the effects the wolf had on your body and mind to be rather extreme. He made sure Harry knew that he wasn't fully in control now and his body would be taking half orders from not only Harry, but Lily as well. Because Lily was representing his werewolf, she was practically drunk during the day prior to the transformation. Sirius insisted that drunk Lily was better than sober Lily, but Harry had to disagree. She was… loud. Interesting, but loud. Her emotions drastically effected Harry's and he couldn't say he wholeheartedly enjoyed it.
Harry and Elizabeth were laughing while running down to the beach where a small motorboat was roped to a rickety wooden jetty. Elizabeth jumped into the boat and Harry followed. It swayed quite a bit in the water before stilling again. Elizabeth turned to see Harry with his arms outstretched, legs spread wide trying to balance on the rocking motorboat and collapsed with laughter at the fearful expression on Harry's face.
'You-You look… ridiculous!' she cried as she clutched her sides. Harry lowered his arms and shifted his feet to stand normally and glared at his friend.
'This is like, the first time I've ever been on a boat. You're making fun of someone who barely knows how to swim. Don't expect me to just know everything.' Harry said incredulously.
Elizabeth sobered slightly and stared at him with wide eyes. 'YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM?' she yelled before dissolving into laughter. 'Christ Harry. How are you still alive!'
Harry kicked her in the shin. 'I know how to swim. I'm just not great at it.'
'Oh, okay. We can work with that I suppose.' she said as she wiped her nose. Elizabeth turned the key and Harry waited as he heard the engine struggle to start. Finally, after spluttering for nearly a minute, the motor roared to life and Elizabeth grinned over her shoulder at Harry. 'Here we go.' she said as she reversed the boat away from the dock and changed gears to let the boat coast forwards as she turned it around to face the open ocean.
Harry sat in the passenger seat and watched as the boat left the beach and moved further into the sea. He was grinning like an idiot as the wind flew over the windscreen and blew through his hair. Prior to Harry's bite at the end of third year, he would have heard the wind and winced. But now, it flowed and played around his ears like music, telling a story only an animal could understand. The smell of the sea and the air that had gone so long untainted burned his nostrils as millennia of history burst through his mind as his senses began to recognize and reconfigure what they were taking in. It was like opening a storybook and becoming one with the characters and images. He felt himself grow with the experience. He closed his eyes and let his brain focus on his other senses. Knowledge. Knowledge is what this was. Centuries of nature, life and death, coming together in a conglomeration for Harry to discover. It was beautiful, terrifying, but altogether exhilarating. He opened his eyes and turned to see Elizabeth. Her blonde hair billowing behind her as she stared at Harry curiously. She opened her mouth to say something, and if Harry wasn't a werewolf, he wouldn't have been able to hear her over the roar of the motor, and the crashing of the waves against the hull.
'What're you thinking about?' she yelled. Harry shrugged and turned back to face the open ocean. A smile played across his lips. This was bliss. For the first time in his life, he felt free. More than that, he felt like a kid. He felt like he had finally captured that idealistic concept he had read about, seen on television programs. This was childhood, and he could finally enjoy it.
Sadly, however, like every moment of blissful oblivion in Harry's life, it came to a sudden crashing (literally) halt. The boat hit a wave at a bad angle. Elizabeth faltered in her confidence. It was a simple lapse in concentration. The small boat suddenly turned into the wave as it tipped until Harry fell into the sea. He hadn't strapped on his seatbelt. Momentarily shocked, Harry opened his eyes under water and stopped himself from sinking further. His eyes didn't sting, in fact, they weren't bothered by the water at all. Harry looked up to find the boat still floating but flipped. Elizabeth was thrashing in her seat trying to unbuckle the seatbelt. Harry awkwardly swam up to the surface, breathing was not of concern at the moment and reached Elizabeth's turned over form. She saw him and Harry saw the fear in her eyes. Harry did the one thing he could think of and pulled out his wand. He looked at her and focused in on the warm feeling in his chest. The feeling that must be magic and thought 'I'm going to get you out.'
Surprisingly, Elizabeth's eyes widened in comprehension. Harry realized then that she heard his thoughts. He must have projected his message magically through…what was that ability called? It didn't matter at the moment. Harry pointed his wand at the seat belt.
'Diffindo!' he cried underwater. Luckily, spells clearly didn't need you to pronounce them above ground, because a jet of red light sliced through the seatbelt and Elizabeth began to sink. Harry quickly thought to levitate her, and she began to follow his wand as he once again was late to realize that he had cast a non-verbal spell. He raised the elder wand so she could be lifted out and under the boat and to the surface. Harry swam up with her and burst through the water, drawing in a great breath.
'Are you alright? Are you hurt?' Harry asked frantically. She didn't answer. She continued to stare at Harry with a wide-eyed expression. Harry, having lived through his fair share of life-threatening situations, recovered rather quickly. 'Fucking hell your dad is gonna kill me.' He said as he stared at the overturned boat. 'Any chance we can flip it?' he asked.
She continued to gape at him, and he sighed. 'Listen,' he said after a moment of treading water. 'I'll explain everything in a few days. It must wait until after my birthday. There is a ton to explain but you're allowed to know about it. At least, I think you are. Just, Liz, don't talk about what you just saw. I'm going to do some more of it in a sec. Is that all right with you?' he asked as he stared at her imploringly. She nodded and Harry smiled. 'It'll be fine. Don't worry.'
Harry, figuring that this could probably be explained to Madam Hopkirk if he ended up getting a letter for more underaged magic, decided to flip the boat. Another non-verbal incantation and the boat had righted itself. With knowledge that was most definitely not his own and was most likely accessible due to the proximity to the full moon, Harry used a drying charm on the inside of the boat as he levitated Elizabeth out of the water. He conjured a towel using Lily's magical experience and wrapped it firmly around Elizabeth.
'I don't know how to drive this thing. I need you to bring it back to the jetty. Can you do that?' Harry asked softly. She nodded and moved to the driver's seat. She turned the key, and nothing happened.
'The battery's dead.' She whispered through shivers. Harry cast a silent warming charm on her and turned to the motor. He sent a quick stinging hex at it, and it roared to life. Elizabeth stared confused at Harry, but the boat was moving, and that was her priority at the moment. A long and heavy silence stilled the air as they rode back to the shore. Harry used his wand to tie the rope around the dock and stuffed it back into his pocket. He hopped up onto the jetty and held out a hand to pull Elizabeth up with him. She shyly grabbed it and he tugged up and they stood side by side, staring at the beach with equally unfocused gazes. Eventually she let go of Harry's hand and turned to face him.
'I don't-' she stopped and looked out to the water. 'What the fuck.' She said finally.
Harry chuckled lightly and stuffed his hands in his wet shorts' pockets. 'Erm, there's a lot to it. I can explain it all on the first of August is that alright? Actually, better yet, thirty-first of July how's that.'
She stared at him for a long while before nodding. She turned around and stared out to the ocean. Her brow furrowed as she admired the sunset tainted clouds. Harry felt that she was taking all of this quite well. Though, he himself had also taken it fairly well when he'd seen Hagrid perform magic in that cabin on the rocks. Harry stared at Elizabeth intently and watched as her vibrant blue eyes scanned the horizon. She wasn't frowning, her lips were set in a straight line and Harry once again felt an urge to kiss her but knew that wouldn't be received well in the slightest. On top of that, he loved their friendship far too much to hinder it further. Harry was taken off guard when she finally spoke.
'You're strange, Harry Potter.' She said in quiet, calm voice. 'I've been told loads of stories of magic and wizards. My uncle tells me about this secret society of wizards and witches, and I always figured he was insane.' Harry once again made a mental note to find out who this uncle of hers was. 'But sometimes you do things, and I can't help but feel… Well, you have this energy about you. It's so… unreal. And after what I just saw,' she motioned out to the water in a vague hand gesture. 'It just seems like you're a walking fairy tale.' She finished and looked up at him.
Harry grimaced slightly. 'I'm nothing special. And your uncle's stories are true, though I'd like to know how he knows that. Either way, there's loads of people like me.'
She turned back to the water. 'Perhaps. But I'd reckon most people would have gone up for air before helping their regular old friend out of a capsized boat.'
Harry groaned. 'Yeah, well my friends say I have a "Saving People" thing. I apologize in advance.' He tried to turn it into a humorous conversation, but Elizabeth was having none of it.
'I think you're hiding a lot. More than hidden magic powers. You're different.' She said, still fixing her unfocused eyes on the rippling waves that had calmed somewhat since their accident.
Harry felt a strange sense of foreboding. He was different. In fact, his differentness was going to come out for the first time tomorrow night. Elizabeth seemed to notice his thoughts and smiled up at him. 'You are, aren't you?'
Harry nodded sadly.
'T's'alright, I think you're bloody brilliant and I reckon your school friends agree with me.' She punched him hard in the arm. 'That's for keeping secrets from me.' Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn't like their first kiss but again Harry felt that gentle nagging in the back of his head that this wasn't right. But he ignored it for now, because he enjoyed the soft feeling of her lips against his and when she pulled away, she smiled at him before pushing him away. 'That's for saving my life, you chivalrous sod.' Harry laughed and began to walk back to the village.
'Now we pretend like that didn't happen?' Harry asked as they walked in silence.
'Yeah, this is all I remember from my afternoon: Some prat came in my café and told me off for something. Don't remember what it was about, naturally.'
'Naturally.'
'Then we went to the beach and conformed perfectly to my father's made-up religion.'
'I do love to live by the rules.'
'And then we returned home and placed the house keys on the hook. Am I forgetting anything?'
'I'd say you got the afternoon down to a tee.' said Harry as they continued to walk into the village. Harry bid his goodbyes and the pair split up to their respective homes. Harry walked out of the village for his half-hour walk to Potter Manor. Wondering not for the first time, why he always felt that strange nagging when he kissed Elizabeth.
The morning of July twenty-second dawned bright and cheery. One could hear the distant crash of the waves against the cliffs, and the chirping of various birds traveling far and wide. A comforting woodsy smell wafted through Harry's balcony doors. During the week leading up to the full moon, Harry found that he desperately craved the smell of nature at all times. Meat that had been cooked even a smidge past rare would taste like dust in Harry's mouth, and his joints ached. The wolfsbane potion that Harry had been brewing through Lily's tutelage tasted worse than Essence of Goyle had back in second year. At least today marked his final dose for a month. The pleasant morning seemed to mock Harry as he felt his body aching under the slightest of movements. He wasn't even sure he could move.
'Bloody birds chirping. Mocking me. Whole world thinks this is some great joke. Fucking werewolf bullshit.' Harry angrily yelled in his head.
He heard his mother laugh but (quite wisely in Harry's opinion) didn't say anything.
His bedroom door burst open to a grinning Sirius and a defeated Remus holding two goblets. 'Last dose of the month!'
Harry scowled. 'And then I have to do it all over again next month. And the one after that, and after that, and the one after that…' Harry trailed off in an angry huff. He had yet to sit up. He truly felt paralyzed, even though he could move his head from left to right to look at Sirius. 'Let's get this over with then.' he grunted as he forced his elbows to his sides to push himself into a sitting position, scooting backward to lean against his headboard. Sirius smiled and walked over to Harry, pouring the foul potion into his mouth. Harry cringed and swallowed. 'Fucking hell that's disgusting.' said Harry for the seventh time this month.
Remus walked over and lay a hand on Harry's shoulder. He too, was incredibly pale. His anxiety seemed to radiate off him, but his touch was comforting. 'Harry, I know you don't want to hear it, but I am unbelievably sorry for what I've done to you. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. You were never-'
Harry stopped him by placing his own hand on the back of his. 'Moony, really, it happened. There's nothing we can do about it now. I stand by what I said in the hospital wing a month ago. This isn't your doing. Just be here for me, okay?'
Remus's eyes were wet, but he nodded and smiled sadly. 'Okay.'
Remus helped Harry get out of bed and soften up his screaming muscles. 'Remember, the first transformation is always the worst, and because you're already pretty old, you're going to feel everything. With the wolfsbane you shouldn't be harming yourself, but from the time that you start to transform to the completed transformation, you have a lot of room to unconsciously injure yourself. Those scars will always remain, so Sirius is going to hold your arms down as Padfoot as best he can.' Harry nodded to the plan he had already been briefed on more times than he could count over the past week.
The trio made their way down to eat breakfast. Harry was mildly taken-aback at the time displayed on the magical clock that sat along the kitchen's bare wall. The clock could tell the time like any muggle time piece. (1:48 in the afternoon), and the other hands worked much liked the Weasley's had. There were currently six hands. One of them was brand new and had a smiling Harry at the top of the spoon-shaped needle. The other five consisted of James and Lily, which were both pointing to 'traveling'. Remus and Sirius which both read 'home' and Peter which was pointed at 'Mortal Peril.' Every day Sirius would glare at Peter's spoon and smile at the fact that the rat's hand had yet to move from Mortal Peril.
'Didn't mean to sleep in this late.' said Harry through yawns.
'No worries. Had to rouse Moony with a caterwaulling charm.' grinned Sirius.
Remus glared at his friend before continuing to eat his porridge. 'Sirius, have I ever told you you're a shit cook?'
Sirius laughed. 'Y'know, when we lived together, you definitely could have taught me.'
'For fucks sake Padfoot it's porridge. It couldn't be any simpler. Tell me, no Sirius, look me in the eyes. Tell me, do you know how to cook an egg? No, don't look at me like that you cocky prat. Genuinely, can you cook an egg?' The shadows under Remus's eyes only added to the menacing effect of his surface-level ribbing.
Harry snorted, and Sirius glared at his godson. 'Can't see how cooking would be a necessity to woo a woman.' said Sirius, leaning back in his chair and smiling jovially at the two werewolves in front of him.
'Not everything is about women Padfoot. And on top of that, I bet my entire feeble bank account on the known fact that being a good cook impresses women.' Remus slammed his fist down on the table as if to prove his point.
Sirius looked around the room in mock curiosity. 'Hmm, I don't see your mysterious lady friend hanging about. Say… FLOPPY!?' The elf appeared next to Sirius. 'Tell me, is there a woman sleeping with Remus here?'
The elf shook his head. 'No sir, Master Remus is forever alone sir.'
Harry roared with laughter and nearly fell off his seat, clutching at his sides. Remus slapped Harry's shoulder and they both winced at the contact. Remus turned to the elf.
'Floppy, be a dear and tell me who told you to say that?'
The elf twisted his hands and looked at Harry. Remus turned to him. 'Well well well. Harry, I mean no offense but unless Miss Granger or Miss Edwards-'
Harry slammed his palms to his ears and closed his eyes. 'Fuck off Moony! Firstly, I am not dating Elizabeth seeing as I can't even sit down to have a good snog. Adding onto that is the fact that I don't have any feelings for her.' Harry paused and blushed, remembering the previous day's events. Sirius and Remus both broke into grins at Harry's embarrassment. Harry pushed through. 'As for Hermione, I am never, ever, not once, not ever, going to ask out my honorary sister. She's just… NO! Fuck.' Harry stuck his tongue out in disgust and feigned gagging.
'Aww, c'mon… She's not that bad! Plus, Moony here calls her the brightest witch of her age, wouldn't be the first intelligent woman in the Potter family.' said Sirius
'Still trying to charm me in death are you Sirius?'
Harry repeated his mothers' message and both Sirius and Remus grinned.
'Nah Padfoot. You're forgetting the Potter curse. Always plays a role the Potter Curse does.' said Remus, who turned to Sirius, and shared a knowing smile.
Harry, for his part, was too morose to care about his godfathers' actions and continued to glare at Sirius as the latter got up to leave.
Sirius smiled. 'Hope you're ready for a prance in the moonlight.' and he walked out the kitchen whistling.
Soon, after hours of general moping, the sun finally dipped below the horizon. They had only a few minutes before the moon would come up, and the trio headed out the back doors to the gardens.
'So, I've got to strip down? Completely starkers?' Harry had already asked this multiple times over the course of the last month.
'Yes, and I'd do so quickly, we haven't got much time.' said Remus. He went behind a bush and Harry could hear the sound of a belt being unceremoniously tossed to the ground. Harry found his own topiary to hide behind while he removed his shoes, his shirt, his pants, his boxers and sat on the grass.
'Harry, I can feel it coming. The wolf.'
Sure enough, the aches in his body suddenly shifted and he heard Remus tell Sirius to transform.
It was pain beyond description. Beyond recognition. Harry's body contorted in ways that shouldn't be possible, his senses were going haywire as he writhed on the ground. Distantly, he thought he recognized the smell of Padfoot, and the feeling of his paws holding Harry's arms to the side. Harry screamed and screamed until his throat felt like it was bleeding. He felt his limbs grind themselves into a longer shape, his muscles felt like they were all tearing and cramping at the same time. He wanted to throw up, he wanted to die, he couldn't think clearly. All he felt, saw, heard, smelled, and tasted was pain. Then, the feeling of white-hot knives carving their way down his insides slid around every one of his organs as he felt his ribs expand and his body become uncomfortable being bipedal. Then his head felt like it was being torn apart as his face elongated and his teeth grew. He could taste blood in his mouth, and he knew it was from his bitten lip.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was, in reality, thirty seconds, the pain ceased. He felt numb and weak. He lay on the immaculate grass and whimpered. He felt a snout muzzle his head and he opened his eyes to look into the sad eyes of a large light-brown wolf and a scruffy black dog. Harry felt like crying. Maybe he was, he couldn't tell. Can wolves cry? He tried to lift himself up, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Padfoot seemed to understand as he licked the side of Harry's face and curled up beside him. The light-brown wolf did the same as a warm blackness enveloped Harry.
He was a ball of light. Or rather, an orb. A golden orb that reflected everything around it, which was absolutely nothing. The orb was floating, or maybe it was doing nothing. Harry couldn't tell because the orb was surrounded by darkness. Harry, giving no thought to the common phrase of "Curiosity killed the cat" raised a finger to probe the orb. Wait. A second ago he could have sworn that he was the orb.
'Never mind that.' he thought. Except his thoughts echoed loudly in this empty void of a chamber. Raising his finger, he pushed the orb, and an explosion of colour assaulted his eyes. Memories that were not his own enveloped his mind and settled in as if they had belonged there all along. Twenty-one years' worth of memories merged with his own as his consciousness connected with that of the werewolf. With that of his mother. Images that he, quite frankly, never wanted to see were now cemented into his mind as though they had belonged to him. It was thoroughly confusing as he tried to think. But every time he thought of anything, the voice in his head would sound like a mix of his and his mothers. It was terrifying. Harry felt a tug behind his navel, and he fell flat on the ground in the backyard of a cozy cottage that he could faintly recognize as her house. No, his house when he was a baby. This is the cottage in Godric's Hollow. Where she lived- Where he lives. No, he didn't live here anymore. This was all so confusing to Harry.
Then, when his thoughts seemed so irreparably jumbled and his magic felt uncontrollable, it all stopped. A woman stood before him, it was Lily, but Harry could have sworn that it was himself. Then, the memories and the magic he was holding left him and flowed in a beam of light towards Lily. It went straight for her middle, right under her lungs and she seemed to glow with magic as she closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly. Harry stared at her, taking her in for the first time in his life. It would have been an amazing feeling had he not realized that this was the first time he had laid eyes on his mother.
'Am I dead?' Harry croaked out. Lily opened her eyes, Harry's eyes, and smiled.
'No. We're in your head.' she said simply.
Harry cocked his head to the side and silently urged her to explain further.
'Don't look at me like that.' she laughed and walked over to Harry. 'I don't know any more about this than you do, although I'd hazard a guess and say that you haven't yet thought about what's happened to you?'
Harry continued to stare at Lily. Her expression softened and she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. It was warm, and familiar. Familiar in a way Harry couldn't describe because it couldn't possibly be familiar. He was living a dream. He was living an idea. An idea he had finally let go of when Dumbledore had explained the Mirror of Erised. He was being hugged by his mother, who was someone who for all intent and purposes didn't exist. She wasn't in Harry's life. The voice that had taken residence inside his head was but a concept on a thought. Harry had never really accepted it. He realized now that he had probably been subconsciously living under the concept of never trusting something if you can't see where it keeps its brain. But now he could see where she kept her brain. He could feel her arms around him. So, when he tentatively raised his arms to wrap around his mother, he finally broke that dam and let the trust pour through it. Like rushing water, years of supressed emotion and memories came flooding to the surface and Harry just stood there. He tightened his arms around her, but he didn't cry. He didn't need to cry. It was all too good, so happy. And Harry knew that he wouldn't have to care about those memories again. At least, not in the way he had been holding them up to this guilt ridden standard of hurt. In fact, instead of crying he started to laugh. He felt so elated it was the most fantastic feeling in the world. He felt Lilly shake as well and knew she was laughing through that strange bond they shared. She pulled away and looked down at Harry. She had tears in her eyes, and so did Harry but they were not out of sadness.
'Try your best to figure out what just happened.' She said as Harry continued to gaze into her eyes.
Harry frowned. 'Well, I suppose I transformed, didn't I?' Lily nodded. 'So then why aren't I a wolf?'
Lily gave an uncharacteristic snort. 'You are a wolf. Just not awake yet. Right now, you're stuck inside your head, or rather, my head. My head being the wolf's head.'
Harry's mouth opened and closed for a moment before running a hand down the length of his face. 'Right.' he said.
'So essentially, this is how life would work for a regular werewolf. Without the effects of the wolfsbane, the witch or wizard would be trapped in their own head as the wolf their body had turned into acted of its own accord. With the potion however, you keep your head. The wolf is sleeping at the moment and all you have to do is take that train,' she pointed to a beautiful green steam locomotive that Harry hadn't noticed which was placed right behind the back garden of the cottage, steam billowing out of its many valves. 'And it'll take you back to the wolf. You'll be in control, and you'll get to hang out with Padfoot and Moony as a regular old wolf.' She finished and smiled at her son.
Harry furrowed his brow and took in his mother's explanation. 'And if I don't want to wake up? If I just want to stay here and talk to you?'
Lily smiled and nodded her head absently. 'If you want to stay you can, the wolf will remain curled up and when the night is over, you'll be human again and you'll be pulled from your, or rather, my mindscape.'
'Right. Okay.' Harry sat down and picked at the grass of the garden. Lily sat next to him and focused intently on the grass he was pulling up. She began doing the same thing and the two of them sat in companionable silence as they each assaulted the garden.
'Do you think dad could be here?' Harry asked quietly.
Lily smiled in understanding before looking up at the back door. 'I suppose it is my mind we're in. And I am dead. Though you are not.' She turned to look back at Harry. 'I'd say you could bring him here. Make him walk right out of that door.' She pointed to the house.
Harry pressed his lips together and stopped picking at the grass. 'I wonder if I should.'
'What do you mean?'
'Well, with you it's different.' Harry paused before smiling. 'I'm stuck with you.' Lily slapped Harry's arm gently and laughed. 'But with dad… I don't know. It's like… Like, I want to see him, so badly. It's this urge and this need that I could never possibly fulfill… but now I can. And I don't know how I feel about that.'
Lily nodded in understanding. 'You're worried about what he's like? Or what he'll think?'
Harry rubbed the back of his neck and the faint hint of a blush spread across his cheeks. 'Well, er… yeah. A bit.'
Lily laughed. 'Your father adores you. In fact, I'd say he might love you more than me.'
Harry turned to stare incredulously at his mother. 'What?'
Lily smiled. 'I'm joking, but I will say that living inside your head gives me a first-person view of your strange habits and some of those were less stressful to watch from a birds eye view.'
Harry laughed. 'Like what?'
'Oh, you know…' she paused and turned to him. 'Just the thoughts that spring up in your head. Or the way you look at certain people. Or your ridiculous Gryffindor stupidity.' Harry snorted. 'But I'd say it makes me love you all that much more. I hope your father is alright all alone up there now that I've been pulled down here.'
'Well then, we should bring him here, shouldn't we?' said Harry after a long pause.
Lily turned to Harry and gave him a questioning glance. 'I mean to say… he'd probably want to see his own wife.'
Lily smiled and nodded. 'But Harry, if you don't want to-'
'Nah, I do… I just hope he isn't… I don't know.' Harry fidgeted with his fingernails and frowned.
'He'll be so happy to see you.' She paused before adding. 'Just remember that it isn't really him. Just like I'm not really me. We're reflections of who we are up there.'
Harry nodded and thought hard on the idea of his father walking out of that back door and just being there. As soon as the thought coursed through his brain, he heard the door open and he opened his eyes to see what could very-well be a reflection of himself only older and taller, and with the wrong-coloured eyes. He stared around at his surroundings in confusion for a moment before turning and running towards Lily who jumped into his arms and laughed as he spun her around.
'You just up and left Lils! The hell!' James's voice was muffled behind her hair.
'Your git best friend bit our son so I'm his werewolf now.' said Lily as James set her down.
'Yeah, I saw that. Didn't know this is what the transformation looked like though.' James looked around at the back garden of their home in fascination. His eyes finally landed on Harry, and he strode over to him and hugged him. Hard. 'It's so good to hold you oh Merlin Harry, I've missed you.' James was lifting Harry off the ground with the force of his embrace. He finally let go and looked into Harry's eyes. 'Damn, you really do have your mum's eyes.'
Harry laughed and nodded. 'Yeah, I get that a lot.'
James grinned. 'Oh, trust me I know. I've got this little notepad with a line drawn every time someone says you've got her eyes.' He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a muggle notebook. He flipped through the pages and showed Harry a page full of small lines. 'It goes on and on but for the most part they're from people talking in the background or around you and stuff. Only a few have said it to your face.' James stuffed the notepad back into his pocket and gripped Harry's shoulders. 'We have a lot to talk about, but we've got loads of full moons to do that, not to mention hours tonight so I'd like to test your Quidditch skills.' Harry smiled and instinctively ran towards a cupboard that rested against the house and pulled out three brooms. Lily grimaced and shook her head. Harry shrugged and placed one of the brooms back and threw one to his father.
'So, you were Quidditch captain and star chaser?' said Harry. He was shocked at how easy it was to talk to him. He was so worried about awkward silences and disappointment, but he just knew what to say. He immediately felt comfortable in his presence. It was like magic.
'Yep. Would've played professionally if I'd have had the chance. Being in the middle of a war has a funny tendency to rearrange your priorities a bit.' said James
Harry laughed and mounted his broom. 'I don't know what I want to do after Hogwarts. I don't mind solving a mystery.'
'Yes. That we are both well aware of.' said Lily dryly.
Harry had the sensibility to look sheepish. 'I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually-'
'Trouble usually finds you. Yeah, we know. Trust me, I know better than most except it was the opposite for me.' said James and he shot up to the sky, quaffle in hand. Harry did the same. After almost an hour of flying and banter Lily joined them and the three spent the night playing Quidditch and discussing the limits of this strange mindscape of Harry's. Or was it Lily's? It really didn't matter. Hours passed and Harry didn't ever consider going to his body and living the night out as a wolf. He enjoyed his parents' company far too much. Maybe next month he'd try it out. But for now, he felt far too content to even consider waking up. Suddenly, however, the world began to dim. James disappeared and Lily winced as he felt himself pull back out into that black void. He watched as the golden orb split into two orbs. One gold and one blue. Then, he felt the tingling of nerves and his vision blurred before his eyes shot open. He was lying on the grassy floor where he'd fallen asleep. He could feel a dog pressed against him, but his other side was bare against the elements. The sky was tainted pink, and he knew that dawn must have arrived. The pain in his muscles was too much to bear, and eventually his world began to recede around him. His body felt like it was being consumed by a raging fire of pain and despair only to feel all his senses suddenly cease functioning, as the world went black.
When Harry woke to the inside of his room, naked under his bedding, feeling like he had just woken out of a heavy fever, he was thoroughly confused. His body felt… swollen. Like a permanent numbing charm had been placed upon his body. Humming to make sure his vocal cords were still intact after the screaming, he looked around his room. He was alone. An odd sense of understanding flowed through Harry. Like he had a treasure trove of knowledge for something he didn't even know about. He'd have to ask Remus about how the first transformation worked.
'Mum? What's happening to me.'
'You went through your first transformation sweetheart. It took a lot out of you.'
'What's happened since I fell asleep?'
'I wouldn't know Harry. You weren't asleep, you were unconscious. If you aren't conscious, neither am I.'
'Oh. That's alright I suppose. I wonder if Pads and Moony are still sleeping. They would have had to bring me up.'
'Remus deserves the rest for sure. Sirius on the other hand, let's just hope he's learning to cook.'
Harry laughed and noticed his constant aches had subsided slightly. Enough for him not to wince at his glee. He shakily rose out of bed and walked to his dresser and pulled out a pair of clean boxers and fished out a t-shirt and cargo shorts. Opening his door, he walked down the stairs and navigated his way to the kitchen. There sat Remus and Sirius looking perfectly well rested. This struck Harry as odd considering the condition Remus had shown up in over the course of Harry's third year. They both turned to him, and their jaws dropped.
'What the hell are you doing down here? You should be resting!' Remus hissed.
Harry was slightly taken aback at his professor's tone. 'Erm, I feel perfectly well rested to be honest. Haven't slept that well in a while. He sat down at his usual seat at the kitchen table.
'Er, Harry… do you have any idea how long you've been asleep?' inquired Sirius. He was looking at his godson with concern.
Harry slowly let his spoon drop back into his cereal as he took in the strange demeanor of his father's friends. 'What's the date?'
Remus turned to Sirius. 'You've been under for three years. We thought you were dead.' If it wasn't coming from a Marauder Harry would have panicked. Instead, he just glared at Remus and continued to shovel cereal into his mouth. Merlin he was hungry.
Sirius sighed. 'Too much Lily-fluence. He doesn't even fall for the simple ones. Simple ones are always the easiest to fall for.'
'Well spit it out, what's the date.' said Harry after finishing his cereal.
'It's the 25th of July Harry. You've been out for three days… roughly.' said Remus.
Harry looked up at the magical clock. Sure enough, the date read 25.
'Your first transformation was… Worse than usual I suppose. I don't remember my first seeing as I wasn't even five years old. I doubt it was any different to what happened with you so don't feel ashamed. Honestly, if I were you, I'd be overjoyed. Transforming back is just as painful.' said Remus with a grimace.
'Merlin, it hurt. I felt like my body was on fire, I just wanted it to end. I couldn't think.' mumbled Harry, looking at the floor in embarrassment. First, he feints at Dementors and now he blacks out after a werewolf transformation. Even Remus said it was unusual.
'Sounds like the bloody Cruciatus.' said Sirius. He had heard little about how the transformation impacted Remus. Even after all these years, he was still quiet about his affliction.
Harry looked at Sirius in confusion. 'What's the Cruciatus?'
Sirius and Remus both looked to each other. 'I guess we're in "peace times" so you wouldn't have heard much of the Unforgivables. They're the spells the Almighty Ministry believes to be the worst of the worst. Get caught using one? One way ticket to Azkaban. Unless you have a fair sum of gold on hand.' Sirius said darkly. 'All you've got to know is this: There's three curses in total, though there should be more added to the list. The Imperius curse, it gives you total control over the victim. You can make them dance and spin, or you can make them murder their family or drown themselves. Total control. That one can be fought, however. The second is the Cruciatus curse, or the torture curse. It forces your brain to stimulate all your nerves at once to simulate pain. No pain is actually being inflicted; it's just tricking your brain into believing you are. The pain is so intense that few have ever been able to fight it off, it sort of… traps you in your own head to try and avoid the pain. When held under the curse for too long… well… you become so lost in your own mind that nothing can pull you out. That's what happened to Neville's parents. They were tortured to insanity.'
'Oh.' Harry had always wondered why Neville lived with his grandmother, but until now he had never imagined them to have received such a terrible fate.
'The third is the reason you're famous. The Avada Kadavra. The killing curse. No counter-curse, no magical shield can hold itself against the thing. Only extremely powerful wizards and witches can perform the killing curse. Voldemort himself is one of those few, that's one of the reasons he held dominion over so many. The thought that a man could kill with a wave of his wand was terrifying. Throughout history, only two wizards have been well known in being able to perform the curse. Voldemort himself, and Godric Gryffindor. Loads of people say Grindelwald was as well but he only ever seemed to use it on his own followers.'
'Gryffindor?' Harry was shocked. The house of the brave at heart, noble and loving, Harry had come to think of his house as the "good guys". Harry mentally slapped himself. Good and bad people is probably the naivest childlike concept he had ever believed in. The world is more complicated than that. It was always more complicated when he was involved.
'Fuck, I hate being Harry Potter.'
'Remus,' Harry said out loud. Ignoring the frustration bubbling under the surface of his emotions. 'When I woke up this morning… it felt like I just… understood.' He paused and searched Remus's eyes for comprehension. Upon receiving nothing he continued. 'Like I have all this knowledge that I didn't have before and now I like… like I know it, but I wouldn't know it unless I knew it?'
Sirius stared at Harry like he had gone mental.
'I mean to say,' Harry was becoming quite concerned. 'That I have a treasure trove of knowledge on spells and potions and… quite frankly everything. I just know things now. But it's a part of me as if it's always been there. I can't figure out how to describe it.'
Remus held a hand up to stop Harry from going on and on in a worry infused rant. 'You had your first transformation. Your magical core bonded with that of your werewolf. Werewolves have two cores. Yours merged with what is essentially Lily. It is why most werewolves excel in their classes. Because they absorb the knowledge of their werewolf. Naturally the amount of knowledge lies in the talent of the werewolf and Lily is rather exceptional. This is one of the reasons I was so good at school. I had my mum's ideas blended with mine. It isn't like sharing memories, it's more so the fact that while you are alive, these… tidbits of information are merged with your mind. You can never get rid of them, and it will feel as though you have already learned everything and that is because you have. Not to mention the fact that the closer you are to a full moon the more powerful your spells will be. The two magical cores move around each other throughout the moon cycle. Once the full moon approaches the cores come closer together until on the night of the full moon, they blend. The first time this happens it leaves a residue. That residue is your mother's magical knowledge and understanding. Do you understand why that is?'
Harry furrowed his brow and took in this new information. 'No.' he said finally.
'Because magical knowledge is not stored as a memory. It is stored in your magic. The very magic that flows through you is now, and forever will be, a blend of yours and Lily's. Therefore, you just know things.'
'But I saw memories, twenty years' worth of them.'
'Yes, and those have left an impact as well. You have taken some of the knowledge from those memories and the magic. It is a part of you now.' said Remus softly.
Harry nodded for a long time before he muttered 'so that's what those orbs were. They were the magical cores.'
Remus overheard this and nodded. 'Yes. It is rare for someone to be able to witness such a thing, but I have seen it before and I am sure you will see it again.'
Harry couldn't help but gape at the table. 'This is fascinating. Why don't we cover this in school?'
'No one's ever written anything about it.' said Remus as he took a sip of his tea. 'I don't think there's a single book written by a werewolf.'
Harry stood up and walked to the counter with his half-eaten porridge. 'Let's change that.'
The Weasleys were gathered around their kitchen table, many conversations ebbing and flowing with varying levels of importance. Molly was in the process of sitting down to enjoy her hand work when a Ministry owl flew through the open window and dropped an official looking envelope in front of Ron.
Ron paled considerably and audibly gulped.
'Ikkle Ronniekins is in trouble with the law? Oh dear.' said George, smiling widely.
'Read the letter out to all of us, please, Ron.' said Arthur quietly.
Ron picked up the envelope with shaky hands and slid open the wax seal. Ron began to read.
'Dear Mr. Ronald Weasley, we are here to inform you that your presence is required for the trial of one Sirius Orion Black. You have been named as a witness to his innocence by both Remus John Lupin and Harry James Potter. The presence of your family is strongly advised, and we expect you to be of solid state of mind in courtroom ten by 9 a.m. on the thirty-first of July.'
The Weasleys stared at Ron in open shock.
'Is there something you're not telling us, Ron?' said Molly in a dangerous voice.
Ron opened his mouth to speak but Ginny burst into laughter. 'So THIS is what Harry was talking about! Oh bloody hell we've got to go mum!'
All eyes turned to Ginny and the blood rushed from her face, realizing what she had just said.
'So, you've been in contact with Harry then?' said Ron, ears turning red with anger. 'Didn't care to mention that to us, did you? You sure he's trying to write to you? Or have you been answering the letters to me?'
'You're such a git! They're my letters. And besides-'
'Silence!' said Arthur in a rare bout of anger. 'What is this about Sirius Black.'
'He's innocent and Harry's been living with him and Professor Lupin all summer.' blurted Ginny. The family stared at her in open shock. Ron was outraged, and Molly seemed worried.
'But, Ginny dear, Black murdered innocents, he betrayed the Potters, it's all very well known-'
'No, mum, Gin's right.' said Ron finally. 'We saw the real traitor, he's alive. It was Scabbers.' He sighed heavily.
'Scabbers?' said Percy, speaking for the first time.
'Yeah, he's an Animagus. He was actually Peter Pettigrew. He'd framed Black and hidden as our rat ever since.' said Ron.
'Merlin's beard.' muttered Arthur.
'Listen, mum, dad, we all need to go. Harry's been telling me about this big plan they've had all summer. At least we'll get to see him! See if he's being treated right by his new guardians.' said Ginny. She was suddenly lost in the idea of being able to see Harry again. He seemed so different in the letters, she wanted to place a face to the writer.
'Well, Ron has to go, and we've been unofficially summoned so, yes we'll go.' said Arthur. The rest of the Weasleys nodded in agreement. Molly still seemed ready to tear her nails off in concern, but she held back her worry by cleaning.
Then, another swoosh of wings and Hedwig landed in the middle of the table, much as it had done weeks before. Hedwig turned her head around until she spotted Ginny. The owl hopped over to her and held out her leg. Ginny untied the scroll and rolled it open. The family was watching with anticipation as she began to read.
Harry Potter's 14th birthday party.
You're invited! Congratulations.
Location: Courtroom 10
Date: July 31st, 1994
Time: 9 a.m.
Hope you can make it!
-Harry.
(P.S, get ready for an early birthday gift Gin.)
The twins were shaking with laughter while Ron finally smiled. The rest of the family were more pensive.
What was Harry planning?