The Boy Who Lived
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive…anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.
"How very boring," Fred complained.
"I think that's the aim," Ron told him, an edge in his voice. Harry nodded. Both twins looked horrified.
"How could you -" Fred began.
"- want to be boring?" George finished.
"When is this? I thought this was supposed to be about Harry's life," Tonks asked.
"The Dursleys are Mr. Potter's family," McGonagall reminded her. Ron and the twins both snorted in disgust. "I suppose it's giving us background information," she guessed with a shrug, ignoring the Weasleys. Tonks nodded.
Narcissa and Draco both looked horrified to be reading about muggles.
Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.
"How lovely." Ginny wrinkled her nose.
"Beefy hardly covers it," Ron muttered. "The guy is a monster."
"Be nice, Ronald," His mother scolded. Ron made sure to turn away before rolling his eyes.
"What are drills?" Arthur asked curiously.
"If you get some parchment, Mr. Weasley, then you can write everything down and I will explain it later," Hermione offered. He gave her a delighted smile as the room conjured a piece of parchment and a quill. If they stopped to explain every little thing, they would never finish the reading time bubble or not. He nodded eagerly at this.
Draco snorted loudly, gaining him glares from all the Weasley children. Narcissa gave her son a stern glare. If they were going to be stuck in a room with these people long enough to read seven books, then he would have to learn to control himself.
"Thank you, Hermione," He beamed. Molly shook her head at him fondly.
Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck…spying on the neighbours.
"Sounds like a lovely woman," Tonks snorted.
Snape nodded to himself. It seemed that Petunia had not changed very much since her childhood. Then he frowned. If Potter had been raised by a Petunia who really had not changed very much, then maybe the boy wasn't quite as pampered as he had believed.
The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and, in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.
There was a lot of snorting from various Weasley children, and Harry, at this. There had also been a snort from Draco, who looked completely horrified to be in agreement with the Weasleys. Bill and Charlie looked at their siblings in amusement. They hadn't heard much about Dudley, but Bill had overheard the twins talking about Harry during the summer when they had visited. What he had heard had concerned him for the boy's home life. He'd never heard the twins so serious.
"What is so funny?" Remus asked.
"Harry's cousin is…well, I guess you'll find out," Ron said, unable to find the correct words.
The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret…Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years;
"It's sounding like they think the Potters are still alive." Kingsley frowned as both Marauders and Emmeline all went chalk white. Harry grimaced.
"So, this is before the Potters died," Andromeda stated, shooting Remus and Sirius a sympathetic look.
"You left him with Petunia?" Emmeline looked horrified.
"They are his family," Dumbledore stated.
"Who hate Lily and magic!" Everyone exchanged worried looks at this.
in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,
"How can you pretend you don't have a sister?" Bill asked. Narcissa and Andromeda both hid their winces.
"We try to pretend we aren't related to Ronniekins," George snorted.
"Fred!" Mrs Weasley snapped.
"I'm not Fred, he is," George told her, gesturing to his twin in exasperation.
"Don't you try that with me." She glared at the pair.
They both sighed, well used to her not caring if she got the right twin or not. They did play the name trick sometimes, but not nearly as often with their mother as she thought they did. She simply didn't know which one was which. In fact, nobody really bothered to find out. Even Lee struggled sometimes. Despite their joking around, it bothered them sometimes that not even their closest friends or family could tell them apart. The only people who could were their dad, Bill and Harry. They had tested it at first, unable to believe that a relative stranger could tell who they were without even really thinking about it, while their own family couldn't. They would go up to him and he would call them by their name and get it right every time. Even when they did play the name game with him.
"Lily should be the one pretending she didn't have a sister," Sirius sneered.
"Family was always important to Lily," Emmeline sighed. Even family who didn't deserve it, she added in her mind.
because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.
"Oi! James was not good for nothing!" Sirius bellowed. Snape inwardly disagreed.
"To be honest, anyone who is unDursleyish is better off," Fred muttered. George, Harry and Ron all nodded in agreement. Molly glared at her son.
"Don't be rude. That's Harry's family," she scolded.
"UnDursleyish isn't a word," Hermione muttered.
"Honestly, Mrs Weasley, it's better to not be like them," Harry assured her. Sirius and Remus both looked at him in concern. They knew what Petunia had been like, but Dumbledore had assured Remus that Harry was well looked after. After seeing Harry at Hogwarts this past year, Remus was already questioning this assurance, and now he was becoming even more suspicious.
They knew the Potter's had a son but had never met him. They didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.
"Harry would be quite happy never mixing with a child like Dudley," Ron said hotly. Harry nodded again.
"Why would you not play with your cousin? Too good to play with a mere muggle are you, Potter?" Snape sneered, despite thinking that any child of Petunia would probably not be worth playing with, if he turned out anything like his mother.
"Could be the fact that Dudley has bullied him his entire life," Ron muttered angrily. There were a few intakes of breath by the adults, and then he cringed as Harry elbowed him in the ribs, hard.
"What do you mean his cousin bullied him? Surely it was simply disagreements between children?" Remus frowned, with a glance towards the headmaster who was currently expressionless.
Ron, Fred and George snorted and shook their heads. Harry was busy trying to disappear into the sofa.
"Harry?" Remus asked.
"It's nothing really, Professor. Ron was just exaggerating," Harry said quietly. "Just keep reading please, Mr. Weasley."
"I'm not your Professor anymore," Remus corrected, just as quietly. "Feel free to call me Remus, or Moony."
When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts…she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.
"He deliberately picks out his most boring tie?" Tonks frowned.
"He seems like the type," George said in disapproval.
None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.
"Why would they?" Kingsley asked.
"Owls are only usually seen at night in the muggle world," Hermione told him.
Draco sneered and opened his mouth to comment but his mother sent him a stern look, making him subside.
At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek…"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.
"That is not how you deal with a child's tantrum!" Molly screeched.
"I just can't believe he thinks Dudley is little," Ron muttered. Harry, Fred, Ginny and George all snorted in amusement. Hermione gave him a disapproving look. As did his mother, but Ron ignored this, well used to his mother's glares. They simply weren't as terrifying as Harry's.
"He must have been little at one point, Ron," Hermione reminded him.
"Not particularly," Harry muttered.
He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive…a cat reading a map.
McGonagall's eyes widened as she realised exactly what day this is.
"Er, why would a cat have a map?" Ginny asked.
"They could be an Animagus," Sirius told her, eyeing his former head of house with a raised brow. She said nothing. Ginny startled slightly at having a (possibly) innocent mass murderer talking to her directly.
For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen…but there wasn't a map in sight.
"A tabby cat, huh?" Sirius looks at McGonagall once more.
"Why would you be there, Professor?" George asked her, having noticed Sirius's looks. The twins weren't sure what to think about the man, but Harry clearly trusted him and that was good enough for them unless they heard concrete proof of why they shouldn't trust him.
"I was going to inform Petunia of Lily's death. However, I took some time to deal with my own grief," McGonagall said stiffly. Sirius nodded. He knew himself, far too well, how much easier it was to deal with grief as an animal rather than as a human.
"So, this is the day after it all happened?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice. The Professor nodded, blinking back tears. Not a day went by that she didn't miss Lily and James.
What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.
The Weasley children, Sirius and Tonks all sniggered at that. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at them which shut them all up. Remus shook his head at his friend's antics, but he couldn't begrudge him some fun. Anything that made Sirius laugh was a good thing in his book, even if it was juvenile. Azkaban had forced Sirius to grow up in many ways, but it had also stunted his emotional growth. His friend was still stuck in a similar mindset, and emotional maturity, as his twenty-two-year-old self.
As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road…looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.
"I beg to differ," Sirius laughed.
"I think it's much more likely that he can't read," Fred muttered to George. Both of them laughed. So did Ginny who was close enough to hear. Molly narrowed her eyes at both of them.
Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind.
"Muggles really are good at ignoring things." Arthur shook his head in bemusement.
"Good for us really. Wizards are far too careless sometimes," Moody growled.
As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills…to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.
"Why is he so bothered by cloaks? They are perfectly normal." Kingsley frowned in confusion.
"Not for muggles," Hermione shrugged.
"How do muggles stay warm then?" Draco asked before he could stop himself. Almost everyone gaped at him in shock, even his mother and godfather. He turned red and folded his arms across his chest.
"With jumpers and coats," Professor Sprout answered when it became clear nobody else was going to.
Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes…see that a couple of them weren't young at all;
"He gets angry about strange things quite easily, doesn't he?" Bill frowned. The other adults exchanged worried looks. If something as simple as a cloak upset him, how would he react to Harry and his accidental magic? Most of them consoled themselves that Harry was his nephew so he would obviously make an exception.
why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak!...these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it.
"Muggles always come up with such interesting explanations for wizarding things." Arthur smiled.
"Why would they be collecting for something?" Flitwick asked curiously.
"Muggles often do stunts to collect money for charity," Hermione explained. "Including dressing up or putting on performances."
The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings…He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.
"Sounds like a delightful morning," Ginny muttered sarcastically.
"He sounds like a horrible man," Tonks scowled.
"He is," Ron nodded.
"I'm sure he's not that bad," Molly frowned. "He is Harry's uncle." She had to admit he had been quite rude when she had seen him pick Harry up from the station, but maybe that was just around strangers. Surely, he was much nicer to his family.
"He really is," Harry muttered. Snape opened his mouth, but McGonagall shot him a threatening glare.
He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk
"He what?" Harry questioned in astonishment. "The world is ending!" The Weasleys all laughed at that, pleased to see Harry actually acting like a teenager.
across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.
"Oh, that makes sense," he sighed in relief that everything was back to normal.
"That's not a healthy lunch," Mrs Weasley fretted.
"Given the size of him, I don't think he ever eats a healthy lunch," Fred whispered to his twin. George nodded his agreement.
"I'm just impressed he walked anywhere, even to a bakery," Ron muttered. Harry snorted in amusement.
He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them…Mr. Dursley stopped dead.
There was some cheering from the Weasley children. Harry sniggered.
"Stop that," Molly glared at her children angrily. "It's not funny to celebrate a man's death, even as a joke!"
"Who's joking?" George muttered to his twin.
"Certainly not us," Fred whispered back. Molly turned her glare right onto those two, but they were so used to this, they didn't even flinch.
"I'm very certain if it was the other way around, they would certainly celebrate my death," Harry assured her.
"What?" Sirius yelped.
"Surely not, Harry my boy," Dumbledore frowned at him. Harry shrugged.
"They wouldn't be upset."
We'll talk about this later," Sirius stated firmly.
"About what?" Harry asked in confusion.
"About living conditions at the Dursleys," Sirius declared.
"I'm sure that's not…" Dumbledore began.
"I'm sure it's none of your business," Sirius snapped. "I'm his godfather." Those who hadn't known that fact, such as Neville, all looked at him in surprise. The Ministry people were mildly surprised that the man supposedly out to kill Harry, cared about whether his relatives wanted him dead or not.
"Who happens to be a fugitive," Kingsley reminded him.
"Technically, to be a fugitive I would need to be convicted," Sirius pointed out dryly. All the Ministry officials looked at him in confusion. "As I had no trial, and was never formally charged or sentenced, I was never made a convict. I was simply sent from the Ministry holding cells straight to Azkaban."
"What?" Harry looked at his godfather in surprise. Hermione looked completely horrified, so did several other people.
"What?" Narcissa questioned at the same time as Harry. She looked sharply at her cousin. Normally she wouldn't care about her Gryffindor cousin, but to know that a son of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black had been sent to Azkaban without a trial was a huge deal. Especially as Sirius was the heir. If it got out that the Ministry had done that, all of the Ancient and Noble houses would be in uproar.
Amelia and Mad-Eye were both enraged by this.
"How did this happen?" Amelia Bones demanded.
"Bagnold and Crouch," Sirius snarled furiously.
"What?" Percy blinked in shock. "Mr. Crouch?" He couldn't believe it. He had been planning on applying for a position at the Ministry, working under the man.
"But the Chief Warlock would need to sign off on that?" Tonks pointed out, turning her steely gaze on Dumbledore.
"Alas, Millicent had granted Bartemius emergency powers during the war period," Dumbledore informed them.
"And in the twelve years since, you didn't once realise Sirius hadn't had a trial?" Remus demanded, this news making the wolf inside him stir with rage. His eyes flashed amber and Snape flinched back slightly.
"I assumed they had held a quick trial while I had been organizing other efforts. There were a lot of trials in those days right after the war," Dumbledore said reproachfully. Sirius glared.
"Seems the Ministry hasn't changed much," Ron muttered mutinously. "Considering what they did to Buckbeak." Draco scowled; still angry the blasted Hippogriff had escaped.
"Let us continue, we can discuss this during a break," McGonagall jumped in, avoiding Sirius' gaze. The news he hadn't received a trial made her feel even guiltier about some of the thoughts she'd had about him over the years.
Amelia scribbled something down on a piece of parchment that had appeared in front of her.
Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted…He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking...
"I didn't know he could think," Ginny said. All the Weasley children, Harry and Sirius, started sniggering.
no, he was being stupid.
"Sounds likely," Hermione sighed. Harry might not be forthcoming with information about his family, but she knew enough. All of the adults who knew her, looked surprised at Hermione speaking about an adult so disrespectfully.
Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter…might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley
"He doesn't even know his own nephew's name?" Remus asked in concern.
"Well, they try to pretend Lily and her family don't exist," Emmeline pointed out, an angry glint in her eyes. "I'd be surprised if he knew James' name either." Both Marauders scowled furiously at that. Harry sighed. He wondered why everyone seemed so upset about all of this.
she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that...
"If I had a sister like Petunia, I'd be horrified, and I had Regulus for a brother," Sirius said scathingly. Snape and Narcissa both glared at him for that remark. Sirius had no idea how much Regulus had to put up with in Slytherin house for his brother's antics.
but all the same, those people in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate…"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.
"Wow, so he does have some manners," George raised an eyebrow. He had only met the man while he was hanging out of a window trying to stop them taking Harry to the Burrow but from what Harry had told them, the twins guessed his uncle was not one to apologise much.
"He must have used up all of his manners for the century," Harry said dryly.
It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak…Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"
"Talk about breaking the statue of secrecy," McGonagall groaned.
"He's happy. We all were," Kingsley reminded her.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody yelled, making everyone jump.
"Not all of us were happy," Sirius muttered bitterly. Kingsley shot him a half apologetic, half curious look, but he waved it away.
Emmeline had to agree with Sirius. Although it had been even worse when Alice and Frank had been attacked. They had all thought the worst of it was over with Voldemort gone, and then two more of her closest friends were as good as dead. And now she found out that Sirius truly had been innocent. She was relieved that he hadn't actually betrayed the Potters, that he hadn't been pretending for all those years. But she felt guilty for ever believing him capable of that in the first place.
"That's the least of people breaking the Statue of Secrecy on that day." Arthur shook his head. Not that he'd minded that work. It was a lot better than trying to hide the war from the muggles.
And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off…because he didn't approve of imagination.
"How can anyone not –" Fred began.
"- approve of imagination?" George finished in astonished horror. Ginny, Sirius and Remus all looked equally mystified by such a thing.
"Because he's a walrus not a human being," Ron told him. All of the Weasley children, Sirius and Tonks burst out laughing.
"Ronald!" Mrs Weasley scolded.
As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw…it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.
"You're still there?" Arthur asked in concern, frowning at McGonagall.
"I'd heard Dumbledore was going to be there. I was waiting for him."
"How did you hear that? You've been at Privet Drive all day?" Kingsley frowned.
"Did you not have lessons to teach?" Percy asked curiously.
"Classes were cancelled that day as a celebration," Professor Sprout informed him.
"Hang on, this is late afternoon/early evening now. James and Lily were killed the night before. People knew that morning that You-Know-Who had gone. Why is it taking so long to get Harry to Privet Drive?" Remus asked with a frown. "It can't have taken all day. The trip from London to Scotland only takes around seven hours and that's by train."
"I got there Halloween evening." Sirius spoke slowly, his voice threatening to break on every word. "Hagrid had already got Harry. I wanted to take him myself, but Hagrid refused to give him to me no matter how much I begged. I really did try." He looked anxiously at Harry. "But he said he had orders from Dumbledore. You all know what Hagrid's like when he has orders so I thought the easiest thing to do would be to help Hagrid get Harry to Dumbledore while I tracked down Peter. Not only for revenge but with him free, he could still be a threat to Harry. So, I gave Hagrid my motorbike and set off. I planned to get Harry from Dumbledore as soon as I was done," Sirius explained. As he spoke, his face got paler, and he began to shake slightly. Remus gripped his shoulder.
The Ministry officials looked over at Sirius.
"Why would you be after Peter Pettigrew if you were innocent?" Amelia wondered.
"Because he was the secret keeper. He was the one who betrayed James, Lily and Harry. And he'd done so willingly, there was no signs of a struggle at his house," Sirius informed them hollowly.
Amelia wrote this down on her parchment too. The story did make some sense. "But Pettigrew is dead, isn't he?" She queried. Just because Sirius didn't betray the Potters didn't mean he was innocent of murder.
"No. He cut his own finger off and ran away. He's an unregistered rat Animagus," Remus explained. More scribbling from Amelia.
Harry let out a breath. That explanation did make sense. And it relieved some of the doubt he had been carrying around. He wanted to spend some more time with Sirius and maybe hear some stories about his parents, but it was good to know his godfather hadn't simply abandoned him for revenge without a second thought. "So, Hagrid should have left just after one in the morning, maybe, possibly a bit later. It certainly shouldn't have taken him all day to get to Privet Drive from Godric's Hollow," Sirius added, desperately wanting to get off the subject of Peter.
"I did suggest to Hagrid that he should take some detours, just in case anyone followed him," Dumbledore put in. Mad-Eye nodded approvingly.
"Even so, that's a very long detour," Remus said doubtfully.
"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.
The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.
"Wonder who that sounds like," Tonks giggled, breaking the growing tension.
"Only Minnie can glare like that," Remus said cheekily, wanting to cheer his best friend up. McGonagall glared at him but didn't comment, knowing what he was doing.
Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered…Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!")
"That's not a good word for him to be learning," Mrs Weasley frowned.
"Given what Harry says about him I'm surprised it wasn't 'mine'," Ron said.
"'Won't' also does sound like Dudley," Harry shrugged.
Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed…I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!
"Oh dear," Mrs Weasley sighed.
"It was a nightmare," Kingsley agreed. "Aurors had to obliviate so many muggles that day."
Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain?...After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.
Sirius and Remus scowled angrily.
"No," she said sharply. "Why?"…it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."
"Well, he's not completely stupid then," George muttered.
"Just mostly stupid," Fred added.
Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.
"Well, we know who is in charge of that marriage," Sirius sniggered. All of the women glared at him.
Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"…"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."
"Better than a name like Dudley," Ron scoffed.
"Yeah, can you imagine. Saviour of the wizarding world, Dudley Potter," Fred chuckled. Harry shuddered.
"That's James' grandfather's name," Sirius snapped.
"Really?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded.
"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."…If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.
The adults exchanged some more worried looks. These were the people raising Harry? Now they were all wondering exactly how Harry had grown up. Especially Remus and Sirius. Remus had been assured by Dumbledore that Harry was safe and well cared for while Sirius was wondering what kind of home Harry had been so eager to leave that he would eagerly jump at the chance to live with a possible murderer.
Harry might have accepted that he was innocent by then, but he'd still been worryingly eager to live with him. Sirius had been too overjoyed at the time to question it, but hearing about Harry's family, it gave him pause. He made a note to have a chat with his godson when they stopped to take a break.
The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake…mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...
"I think he might have been a bit wrong there," Charlie muttered. "If Harry is now living with them."
"Yeah," Bill nodded, but he was slightly concerned about how much they seemed to fear magic. He knew fear could make people do terrible things.
How very wrong he was…In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.
"Midnight? That makes it almost twenty-four hours since Hagrid left Godric's Hollow." Sirius looked very concerned at this point. "What if something happened?"
"Well, we know he's alive and been living with the Dursleys. Maybe Hagrid just got lost." Remus reassured his friend. He was also concerned, but since they knew Harry was ok, it seemed better to save their worry for later. Especially if some of the stories he had heard about Harry's adventures at Hogwarts were true.
A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching…his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.
"Dumbledore." All the children, except Draco, chorused. The headmaster smiled slightly.
"How did he appear silently?" Hermione wondered. "I thought apparition always made a sort of popping sound."
"It's possible Albus had a portkey." McGonagall shrugged. "I never asked."
"I did indeed." Dumbledore nodded. "I had been apparating all day trying to clear up issues at the Ministry. I decided to use a portkey to conserve some energy."
This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.
"I'm sure he did realize," Mad-Eye chuckled. "He just didn't care."
"Indeed," Dumbledore smiled.
He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something…For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him.
"You found it amusing that I had been sitting on a brick wall all day?" McGonagall narrowed her eyes at her friend.
"I'm sure I was simply pleased to see you," Dumbledore replied serenely, eyes twinkling.
"The book specifically said amused," she glared. He simply smiled at her.
He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."…The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness.
"Useful thing," Mad-Eye muttered. He was still irritated that Dumbledore wouldn't tell him how to make one.
"That's cool," Ron said interestedly. "What is it?"
"It is a handy little invention of mine. It is called a Deluminator," Dumbledore told him kindly.
"You made it yourself?" Hermione asked interestedly. The professor nodded. Hermione was intrigued. She liked the idea of being able to create magical items. She had an ambition to make muggle equipment that worked with magic.
Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street…black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.
"Are we sure that's Minnie?" Sirius asked with a cheeky grin. "I don't think I've ever seen her ruffled, no matter how hard we tried." Many people around the room gave him surprised looks. This wasn't the attitude they expected from an accused mass murderer. Even if he was actually innocent, they'd spent a long time thinking he wasn't, and so it was hard to see him as innocent after only an hour or so.
"Us either." Fred gave him a commiserating look. McGonagall glared at them, but she didn't have the heart to ruin Sirius' fun just yet. This was going to be hard enough to hear, and she had already lived through it.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked
McGonagall turned slightly red, and she rolled her eyes at her own ridiculous question. Albus had taught her how to become an Animagus, of course he recognised her form.
"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."…I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."
"How did you pass feasts and parties, professor?" Charlie wondered. "I thought you used a portkey; you wouldn't have passed anything."
"Well, we've already established that it's taken Hagrid far longer than it should to reach the Dursleys." Kingsley frowned.
"I was busy aiding the Ministry for most of the day. Throughout the day I saw plenty of parties," Dumbledore explained. "Every time I was about to leave to head to Privet Drive, it seemed another problem popped up."
Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily…Well, they're not completely stupid.
"Good to know you think so highly of muggles Minerva," Mad-Eye said, looking mildly amused. McGonagall went slightly pink and glared at him.
They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."
"That's a little unfair, Minerva," Flitwick told her, smiling slightly.
"I find it an accurate description," McGonagall replied stiffly.
"Perhaps a little careless would be a more apt description," Sprout offered. McGonagall sniffed disapprovingly.
"He still doesn't have much sense," Mad-Eye grunted.
"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."
"Exactly." Sprout nodded in agreement.
"No reason to expose us all to the muggles," Mad-Eye grunted.
"Some of us still had very little to celebrate," Sirius grumbled. Sure, Voldemort had been defeated, but to him the cost of two of his best friends was too high. Especially considering one of his two other closest friends was a traitor. He lost three of his four best friends in one night. Not to mention being sent to Azkaban and losing his godson for twelve years.
Remus agreed, he'd lost his entire pack in one fell swoop. That had caused Moony to be very angry for the next several full moons.
"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably…"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for.
"Did you already suspect he might not be gone?" Remus frowned at the headmaster.
"I had a suspicion," Dumbledore stated, clearly unwilling to share anything more at the moment.
"Then you should have told the Ministry," Amelia declared.
"I could not risk that information falling into the wrong hands," Dumbledore told her simply. "Not to mention, I had not had any time to investigate or think things though."
"And you have now?" Bill asked curiously. Dumbledore did not respond, giving Arthur a pointed look.
Would you care for a lemon drop?"…as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.
A few of the braver adults chuckled at that.
"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"…I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched,
So did a lot of people in the room. Only Harry, the twins, Bill, Mad-Eye, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius didn't flinch.
"Really, Ron? You'd think you'd get used to it with how often Harry says the name." Fred rolled his eyes.
"It's different for Harry. He didn't grow up in the wizarding world," Ron defended himself.
"Bill, Fred and George didn't seem bothered," Harry pointed out. Ron glowered. More ways he was inferior to his brothers.
but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.'
"Not really," Flitwick stated. "There is only one person we refer to by that moniker."
I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name…Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."
Many of people nodded in agreement.
"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."…Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."
"Urgh," Ron groaned.
"I'm not sure that information was necessary," Charlie grimaced.
Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said…The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "
Everyone fell silent. Remus and Sirius had both gone deathly pale. Sirius was blinking rapidly in the hopes of holding back tears. Ron shifted closer to Harry, so they were shoulder-to-shoulder, offering him support. Remus was doing the same for Sirius.
Snape clenched his fists inside his robes.
Arthur gave them all a moment to mourn, and to pull himself together, before reading on.
Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped…I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."
"I knew James was always your favourite," Sirius smiled slightly. Tears were now falling down his cheeks despite his best efforts. Several people looked startled to see Sirius Black cry. Even if he was innocent, they had spent twelve years thinking he was a violent criminal, so it was still jarring.
"He was a complete natural at Transfiguration," McGonagall stated before blowing her nose. Harry looked at his professor in surprise. He didn't know that. Ollivander had said something about his father's wand being good for Transfiguration, but he had never heard anything since. Now that he recalled, he had also said his mother's wand was good for Charms. He resolved to ask Professor Flitwick about that when they had a moment.
"And you loved our pranks really." Remus tried for a smirk and was only partially successful.
"Those pranks are most of the reason for all my grey hair," She stated dryly, more than willing to oblige the two Marauders by discussing the good memories. "And those two are responsible for the rest." She pointed at Fred and George, who both grinned proudly. She didn't add that Harry had added his own fair share of grey hairs, given his adventures. She decided to put off mention of his death-defying activities until it was completely necessary. And even then, she didn't know all the details of his first year, only what Dumbledore had told them. Which wasn't much.
Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily…saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.
Sirius flinched, recalling when Harry had thought he wanted to kill him.
But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how…"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."
"So, he has some ideas then," Tonks guessed.
"Probably," Mad-Eye nodded, eyeing his old friend. He knew better than most of Dumbledore's habit of keeping information close to his chest. And in most situations, he would agree with that, the more that knew, the more likely it was the information would get out. But at the same time, sometimes it did help for the right people to know the right things.
Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes…had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.
"That's not odd," Draco scoffed.
"It is to muggles," Hermione informed him.
"But we aren't muggles," Tonks pointed out in confusion. Everyone shrugged.
It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"
Everyone frowned, their worry now increasing even if they knew Harry was alright.
"If Hagrid got to Harry's house at around midnight the night before, and he's had Harry all day, you must have known Professor Dumbledore was going to be there all day, why did you get there so early?" Hermione asked McGonagall curiously.
"All Hagrid told me the evening before was that Dumbledore would be visiting that location the next day. As I had already planned to deliver the news to Lily's sister, I thought I would meet Albus there and ask him my questions. But I did not know what time or why he would be visiting the location, so I got there early and dealt with my own grief while I waited," she explained.
"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"…They're the only family he has left now."
"How come the Dursleys are the only family I have. What about grandparents, or cousins or something?" Harry wondered. Sirius and Remus both looked heartbroken at how little Harry knew about his family.
"Your dad's parents, Euphemia and Fleamont, or Mia and Monty as they liked to be called, were quite old when they had James, so he was an only child. They died of dragon pox before you were born," Remus explained quietly.
"My grandad was called Fleamont?" Harry asked. If he hadn't been so excited to finally know the names of his grandparents, he would have laughed.
"It was your great great-grandmother's maiden name. She didn't want it to die out, so she asked her son, your great-grandfather who you are named after, to perpetuate the name. He then named his son Fleamont." Remus smiled slightly. James had expressed his delight about not having that name himself several times. "Lily's father died from cancer in our seventh year. Her mother lived long enough to see you born, but she passed away around the Christmas. I was away so I'm not sure what happened. Unfortunately, that means Dudley is your only cousin."
"Pneumonia," Emmeline said softly.
"I'm named after my great grandad?" Harry double checked. Remus nodded.
"Apparently his real name was Henry, but he preferred Harry," Sirius told him.
"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here ?"…Harry Potter come and live here!"
"At least someone tried," Harry muttered to himself. Sirius and Remus both shot him looks of concern, their enhanced hearing allowing them to hear the words despite how quietly he said them.
"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly.
The Weasley children, except Bill and Charlie, and Harry all snorted.
"The best place for him would have been with me," Sirius scowled. Harry nodded at that.
"I know, Pads. But you know why that wasn't possible," Remus said softly. "Even if you hadn't been tricked by Peter, you would still have been the main suspect because everyone thought you were the secret keeper. Harry would have needed guardians while you got your name cleared and you know how long it could take."
"Yeah. And I bet even if I'd got my name cleared, Dumbledore would have tried to leave Harry with them," Sirius stated unhappily.
"Why would he do that? You're his godfather," Remus frowned. Sirius shrugged. He couldn't explain it himself; he just had this feeling that Dumbledore hadn't wanted him raising Harry. Maybe that was just his own paranoia talking. Plus, the fact that Dumbledore preached about second chances all the time, go so far as to vouch for Snape personally, and hadn't even bothered to make sure he got a trial, let alone hear his side of the story. Sure, it had been a hectic time, but he had been stuck there, forgotten, for twelve years. Not once did Dumbledore visit to hear what had happened that night.
"I thought it would be better for Harry to be raised in the muggle world," The headmaster said gravely.
"No. Definitely not better," Harry scowled at the floor. Everyone looked at him, wondering exactly how he had grown up.
"His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."
"A letter?" Molly asked faintly. "You're going to tell Mrs Dursley that her sister is dead, in a letter?" Snape barely managed to stop himself snorting at that. Petunia was hardly going to care that Lily was dead. The horrible shrew was more likely to throw a party at that news.
"And they didn't explain anything to Harry. At all," Ron put in. "It's only because Hagrid didn't give them any choice and explained things himself."
"Hagrid? Why would Hagrid be explaining things to Harry?" Sirius frowned.
"Er…" Ron grimaced and looked towards Hermione for help. Harry had only given them a very brief overview of what had happened when Hagrid delivered his Hogwarts letter, and they weren't exactly sure how Sirius would react to the news.
"I'm sure the book will explain," Harry spoke up, not willing to explain right then. Sirius looked at them all suspiciously but let the matter go for now. If it didn't come up, he would ask Harry again later.
"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall…Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry
"And none of them are accurate," Hermione frowned in distaste.
"You would know," Ron grinned.
"You mean except these ones," Percy pointed out.
"There isn't a Harry Potter day, is there?" Harry asked in horror.
"No, Mr. Potter. There is not," McGonagall assured him. He let out a sigh of relief. Snape inwardly scoffed at this display. He was sure Potter would revel in a day specifically to celebrate himself.
every child in our world will know his name!"…Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember!
"Except Harry totally hates his fame," George pointed out.
"Which might be a result of being raised away from it all. He might have turned out slightly more like James in his youth, had he been raised with his fame," Remus said.
"What do you mean, more like my dad?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Or he might hate his fame because he got it as a result of his parents dying but not him," Fred countered. "It's just a reminder than he survived but his parents didn't. I don't think most people would want that." He shot a pointed look at Ron, who blushed and looked away. Harry grimaced, but he was grateful to Fred for pointing that out. He was also surprised. Very few people ever actually thought about that aspect of his fame, including his best friend. Ron had always been jealous, even if he had gotten better at hiding it over the last couple of years. Fred clearly caught the surprised look and winked at him.
Harry had become closer to the twins since they had given him the Marauder's map. Harry felt like he could tell them things he simply couldn't tell Ron and Hermione. They didn't judge, but they also didn't feel the need to tell him how to deal with what he was feeling. They let him get it out and then distracted him with other things. Although he had frequently ranted about how he hated his fame, he'd never actually revealed that particular reason.
Everybody considered that. They had never really considered how the fame would be seen from Harry's point of view.
"In answer to your question, Harry, your father was rather…big headed as a youth," Remus smiled fondly. Snape snorted at that gross understatement. And he wasn't the only one. All of the other teachers were similarly amused by that statement. Harry frowned. He wondered if he could persuade Remus to tell him stuff about his parents as well as Sirius.
Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that…"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.
"Just not secrets," Remus chuckled. "He's terrible with those."
Ron, Harry and Hermione exchanged amused looks, thinking about how many times Hagrid had told them things he shouldn't.
Snape clenched his teeth. After everything he had done over the years, risked his life, Dumbledore never expressed such faith in him.
"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly…and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
"I miss my bike. I wonder what happened to it," Sirius frowned.
"I think Hagrid still has it," McGonagall told him. "As far as I know, anyway."
"Cool. When I get my name cleared, I want that back," Sirius grinned. He missed the pitying looks several adults were giving him.
Amelia frowned at the certainty with which Sirius declared his name would be cleared. However, despite it being early days, he certainly seemed completely sane. A feat which impressed her, but also caused concern. Why had he remained so unaffected by twelve years in Azkaban? Not that she wanted him to be insane if he was innocent, but she needed to know if their prison was ineffective. She also had yet to comment on the fact that he was an unregistered Animagus. She had meant to bring it up, but now she thought she might as well wait and see if she could get the whole story from these books. If they were accurate, it would be easier if they got all the information in order.
If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it…had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.
"That description kind of makes Hagrid sound terrifying," Ginny frowned.
"He probably does come across as terrifying when you don't know him," Charlie shrugged. "He is half giant after all. It's only those who know him who can tell he is a giant softy underneath."
In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets…Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."
Sirius sighed. He wondered how different everything would be if he had been able to get there first and take Harry before Hagrid had arrived. If he hadn't gone off after Peter.
"No problems, were there?"…He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."
"Harry always did love flying on my bike," Sirius smiled, eyes going misty again as he recalled all the times that he had snuck the baby out for a flight.
"I did?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded.
"And Lily hated it. She threatened to skin you every time you took him out," Remus smirked.
"And never did because I could always get him to calm down and she was just grateful he had stopped crying," Sirius grinned right back.
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets...over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.
"Another thing Harry hates," Ron noted.
"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall…"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy.
"Somehow I doubt that scar is ever going to come in handy," Charlie frowned. "Not one given by him."
"It warns him when You-Know-Who is nearby," Ron stated.
"What?" Sirius asked. "When has he been around You-Know-Who?"
Most of the room exchanged looks. Clearly nobody, namely Remus as he'd been the only one to have any time with Sirius, had filled Sirius in on Harry's previous adventures during school. Although Bill frowned at this news. Scars shouldn't do that. He would need to hear more to make a guess as to what was causing that.
"Erm…this year is the only year at Hogwarts so far that Harry hasn't met You-Know-Who," Ron admitted uneasily.
"WHAT?" Sirius yelped in horror. "How?"
"I guess that's what these books are going to tell us," Remus stated. The adults that weren't teachers at the school, all exchanged worried looks. Mrs Weasley looked like she was about to start yelling, but Sirius cut her off.
"Did you know about this?" Sirius rounded on his friend.
"I'd heard…rumours," Remus told him carefully. Sirius narrowed his eyes. "If it doesn't come up in these books then I will tell you what little I know," He promised. Sirius scowled but nodded, knowing his friend wouldn't budge. He added it to his mental list of things to ask Harry about.
I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."
"Get this over with?" Hermione frowned.
Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house…gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.
Everyone smiled slightly at that.
Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.
Sirius looked offended.
"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"
"Why wouldn't you wake the muggles?" Tonks asked. "You're going to have to wake them up when you give them Harry." McGonagall didn't answer, but a flash of guilt crossed her face.
"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"
Remus and Sirius closed their eyes. This time they had no jokes or stories to think about to take their minds off of that fact. Their best friends were dead, and they had left Harry to be taken in by family that had certainly seemed not to want him. Obviously, they had taken him in, but both Marauders were concerned by the attitude of the Dursleys so far.
Ron gripped Harry's arm tightly.
"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,"…tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.
"You left him on the doorstep!?" Sirius yelled. "In November!" All of the female adults looked horrified, even Narcissa.
"Why would you leave the poor kid on a doorstep instead of giving him to his aunt and explaining?" Molly wanted to know.
"Albus thought it best." McGonagall shrugged.
"You thought it best to leave The-Boy-Who-Lived on a doorstep?" Emmeline exploded.
"You mean he thought the family would refuse to take the boy if he asked them," Mad-Eye said shrewdly. "This way they don't have much choice."
"It was integral that the Dursleys shelter Mr. Potter," Dumbledore stated firmly. "The blood wards protect him."
"But he could have been kidnapped. Or gotten ill due to be left out in the cold weather," Molly fretted.
"Albus placed some safety spells on him before we left," McGonagall informed them all. "We did not leave Mr. Potter without some degree of protection."
"Oh, well, that just makes it all better then," Sirius scowled.
"If Professor Dumbledore thought there was a chance of them refusing to take Harry in if asked directly, doesn't that suggest it may not be the best home for him?" Fred asked tightly.
"Not to mention, they could have given him to an orphanage," Ted Tonks pointed out. Dumbledore grimaced slightly at the idea of Harry being raised in the same environment as Tom Riddle. Still, he had been certain the Dursleys would take Harry in, no matter how reluctantly. They were still family after all.
"The problem is that if he went to a wizarding family, Sirius would be first choice as godfather. After that, it would be Alice and Frank who are…unavailable. Then Harry's next closest relations are the Black family through James' grandmother, Dorea Potter, nee Black," Arthur spoke up heavily. Emmeline closed her eyes at the mention of her best friend's and her husband's condition. Neville flinched.
"Meaning Lucius Malfoy had a good chance of being able to take Potter in through Narcissa," Remus realized. Draco looked startled at the fact that there had been a possibility of Potter being raised alongside him.
Narcissa pursed her lips, not admitting that there had been at least some discussions on that front between herself and her husband. In the end they had thought it best not to bring the attention upon themselves that raising the Boy-Who-Lived would have gotten, especially as Lucius' imperious lie had been believed.
"Woah, Harry could have been raised by Malfoy Senior?" Ron pulled a face.
"Which would be very bad," Remus stated.
"Wait, my mum and dad would have been next to take Harry in?" Neville questioned.
"Alice is Harry's godmother," Remus told with him a raised eyebrow. Both Neville and Harry looked surprised by this.
"I have a godmother too?" Harry asked. Neville and Emmeline both winced. Sirius nodded, glancing at Neville sympathetically. Remus had filled him in on what had happened to Alice and Frank. Why Harry hadn't been living with them had been one of his first questions for his old friend.
"My parents could have taken him in," Tonks spoke up into the awkward silence. "My mum is Narcissa elder sister so would technically have a higher claim."
"Yeah. Andie you would have been a great guardian," Sirius nodded.
"I didn't think about it," Andromeda said, looking ashamed.
"Still too risky. Lucius has money with which to bribe people," Arthur gave an uncharacteristic scowl.
"Besides, with Andromeda having been disowned from the Black family, Narcissa may have been considered to have had a higher claim," Kingsley put in grimly.
"So, you're saying the muggles who didn't want him were actually Harry's best option?" George asked incredulously. The majority of the adults nodded grimly. Harry frowned, momentarily distracted from the earlier revelation.
For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle…"I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back.
Sirius sighed sadly.
G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."…"Good luck, Harry," he murmured.
"He'll need it," Hermione muttered.
He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone…he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...
"Sounds about right," Ron scowled.
"Start as they mean to go on," Fred muttered darkly, making sure the adults didn't hear. Ginny frowned at hearing this. She'd heard enough from her siblings about Harry's home life to know it wasn't great. But she still had a hard time believing her hero had grown up in an unloving situation.
He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"
"Done," Arthur announced.
"Well, it seems very accurate so far," McGonagall stated, unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. "It recounted the exact events of that night, precisely as I remember them." Nobody else was sure if this was good or not either. Some of the revelations in this chapter were unpleasant to say the least. Nobody looked particularly pleased with Dumbledore either.
"Well, I will read next," Bill offered. Arthur handed the book to his son.