Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and practically everything else are property of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Arabella Figg's personality belongs to me, and so do a couple other things. Not much though.
2
"What?" exclaimed Harry as he followed Arabella Figg down the stairs and into the living room. "You're Mrs. Figg? How - ?"
Arabella Figg smiled as she settled onto the spindly armchair.
"It's a rather long story, Harry... you might want to sit down." Harry did so, and Arabella talked on.
"I went to Hogwarts with your mother, Hary...." she said softly. "I remember her well.You have her eyes, although I expect you've already been told that?" Harry swallowed and nodded. "But besides that, you are exactly like your father. I remember him too." Arabella Figg looked down at her feet for a few seconds, then renewed the one-sided conversation. "Lily was one of my best friends. So when Voldemort... killed her and James, since I was - and am - your godmother...." Harry jumped.
"You're my godmother? Then you know about Sirius?"
"Indeed I do," Arabella said, smiling. "I don't think I'll ever forget the day last month when Sirius walked in with Remus Lupin beside him. Sirius was saying, 'You won't believe this, Arabella, but I'm not horrid and evil after all!' Just like him. Of course, I'd already known."
"You had?" asked Harry uneasily.
"Professor Dumbledore had already contacted me. But before that, I'd have more readily believed that Voldemort had become good and kind than accepted Sirius as one of his followers." She shrugged. "But on with the story.... Since I felt rather responsible for you, and since Professor Dumbledore had asked me to, I moved into a house near to the Dursleys' and took a potent Aging Potion to make me look old and uninteresting. I was able to keep close watch on you."
"I've heard about Aging Potions," said Harry, remembering the Weasley twins' antics with the Goblet of Fire during his fourth year, "But how did you... er... get young again?"
"An Aging Potion reversal charm," said Arabella, grinning openly. "It's fast and easy to work, and I needed to get you to London today.... I suppose it's Diagon Alley you need to go to?"
Harry nodded, still not quite believing his luck.
"But I haven't got my wand, or my booklist, or anything... it's all locked up in my room at the Dursleys'."
"That isn't really a problem," said Arabella Figg. "I'll be back in a minute." And she Disapparated.
Harry paced around for five or ten minutes, until Arabella suddenly reappeared with a pop, carrying Harry's trunk in her left hand, his wand in her right. She handed it to him and Harry pocketed it, along with a bag of Galleons and his Hogwarts booklist, which he retrieved from his trunk.
"Well," said Arabella, pocketing her own wand, "shall we leave?"
"Certainly," replied Harry, "But... how?"
"Ever heard of Floo Powder?"
"Oh, no...." Harry groaned.
*
They arrived through a fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, and after greeting the innkeeper cheerily and dusting themselves off, they tapped on the third brick above the trash bin and entered Diagon Alley.
The first place Harry and Arabella Figg went to was Flourish & Blotts', which was practically empty, except for three people who were looking at books on Animagi. One of them, a girl in her teens with bright red hair, turned around to stare at Harry when he came in. Then she turned to the boy beside her.
"Oh look, Ron! It's Harry!"
"Harry!"
"Ron! Hermione! Ginny!"
"Harry, we thought you weren't going to get here! We'd looked everywhere!" said Hermione.
"Who'd you come with?" asked Ron.
"With my godmother," replied Harry, grinning. "It turned out she lives near me and the Dursleys. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, this is Arabella Figg."
"Pleased to meet you all," said Arabella, shaking each of their hands in turn.
*
The next few weeks at Arabella Figg's house were among the best ones in Harry's life. His godmother told him a lot about Lily, James, the Marauders, and their life at Hogwarts before Voldemort rose to power. During those weeks Harry felt almost, but not quite, like he had his mother back.
*
On the 31st of August, the Dursleys came back from their holidays in Majorca. Arabella had sneaked Harry's trunk back up to his room at number four, Privet Drive, the day before, and had taken another draught of Aging Potion before the Dursleys arrived.
When Uncle Vernon asked Arabella if Harry had behaved himself, old Mrs. Figg replied something about "totally exhausted... but it brightens me up once in a while...." She winked at Harry when the Dursleys weren't looking, and slipped a bag of Chocolate Frogs into his backpack.
*
Uncle Vernon drove Harry to King's Cross Station the next day. As usual, he left Harry to find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for himself, not in the least caring whether he got lost or not.
Harry didn't get lost though, quite contrary to his uncle's wishes. As he walked nonchalantly through the solid barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, he wondered vaguely who would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.
But the thought left his mind as he spotted Ron, Hermione, and Ginny talking to Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Fred and George Weasley. He walked over to them and talked a while, before they were joined by Neville Longbottom, who had, once again, lost his toad.
A few minutes after that, they boarded the train to Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all went into the same compartment, all anticipating the next year at Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Express was about to leave, and the doors had already closed, when suddenly a strangely familiar voice could be heard crying out:
"Wait! Wait! Stop ze train!"
It stopped. Everyone in the compartment crowded against the window, but nobody saw who had stopped the train, until their compartment door opened and a strikingly beautiful girl with long, silver-blonde hair walked in. She looked around the compartment, and her large, light blue eyes rested on -
" 'Arry!"
Harry gasped.
"Fleur?"
---------------------------
Author's Note: Haha, another cliffhanger. What's Fleur Delacour doing on the Hogwarts Express? Next chapter coming soon! Now, Review!
Many thanks to Silver, who was the first one to review, and to Rae, Lily, Jedia12, Hermione Granger Weasley, LTBaby5, WedgeScriv, KNA, Scott Potter, Katameran, and Herm, who were the next ones to review, in that order. Thank you all! (And I hope I didn't misspell any names or miss anybody!)
And a very special thank-you to James Horner and John Williams, who compose really inspiring music. :)
2
"What?" exclaimed Harry as he followed Arabella Figg down the stairs and into the living room. "You're Mrs. Figg? How - ?"
Arabella Figg smiled as she settled onto the spindly armchair.
"It's a rather long story, Harry... you might want to sit down." Harry did so, and Arabella talked on.
"I went to Hogwarts with your mother, Hary...." she said softly. "I remember her well.You have her eyes, although I expect you've already been told that?" Harry swallowed and nodded. "But besides that, you are exactly like your father. I remember him too." Arabella Figg looked down at her feet for a few seconds, then renewed the one-sided conversation. "Lily was one of my best friends. So when Voldemort... killed her and James, since I was - and am - your godmother...." Harry jumped.
"You're my godmother? Then you know about Sirius?"
"Indeed I do," Arabella said, smiling. "I don't think I'll ever forget the day last month when Sirius walked in with Remus Lupin beside him. Sirius was saying, 'You won't believe this, Arabella, but I'm not horrid and evil after all!' Just like him. Of course, I'd already known."
"You had?" asked Harry uneasily.
"Professor Dumbledore had already contacted me. But before that, I'd have more readily believed that Voldemort had become good and kind than accepted Sirius as one of his followers." She shrugged. "But on with the story.... Since I felt rather responsible for you, and since Professor Dumbledore had asked me to, I moved into a house near to the Dursleys' and took a potent Aging Potion to make me look old and uninteresting. I was able to keep close watch on you."
"I've heard about Aging Potions," said Harry, remembering the Weasley twins' antics with the Goblet of Fire during his fourth year, "But how did you... er... get young again?"
"An Aging Potion reversal charm," said Arabella, grinning openly. "It's fast and easy to work, and I needed to get you to London today.... I suppose it's Diagon Alley you need to go to?"
Harry nodded, still not quite believing his luck.
"But I haven't got my wand, or my booklist, or anything... it's all locked up in my room at the Dursleys'."
"That isn't really a problem," said Arabella Figg. "I'll be back in a minute." And she Disapparated.
Harry paced around for five or ten minutes, until Arabella suddenly reappeared with a pop, carrying Harry's trunk in her left hand, his wand in her right. She handed it to him and Harry pocketed it, along with a bag of Galleons and his Hogwarts booklist, which he retrieved from his trunk.
"Well," said Arabella, pocketing her own wand, "shall we leave?"
"Certainly," replied Harry, "But... how?"
"Ever heard of Floo Powder?"
"Oh, no...." Harry groaned.
*
They arrived through a fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, and after greeting the innkeeper cheerily and dusting themselves off, they tapped on the third brick above the trash bin and entered Diagon Alley.
The first place Harry and Arabella Figg went to was Flourish & Blotts', which was practically empty, except for three people who were looking at books on Animagi. One of them, a girl in her teens with bright red hair, turned around to stare at Harry when he came in. Then she turned to the boy beside her.
"Oh look, Ron! It's Harry!"
"Harry!"
"Ron! Hermione! Ginny!"
"Harry, we thought you weren't going to get here! We'd looked everywhere!" said Hermione.
"Who'd you come with?" asked Ron.
"With my godmother," replied Harry, grinning. "It turned out she lives near me and the Dursleys. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, this is Arabella Figg."
"Pleased to meet you all," said Arabella, shaking each of their hands in turn.
*
The next few weeks at Arabella Figg's house were among the best ones in Harry's life. His godmother told him a lot about Lily, James, the Marauders, and their life at Hogwarts before Voldemort rose to power. During those weeks Harry felt almost, but not quite, like he had his mother back.
*
On the 31st of August, the Dursleys came back from their holidays in Majorca. Arabella had sneaked Harry's trunk back up to his room at number four, Privet Drive, the day before, and had taken another draught of Aging Potion before the Dursleys arrived.
When Uncle Vernon asked Arabella if Harry had behaved himself, old Mrs. Figg replied something about "totally exhausted... but it brightens me up once in a while...." She winked at Harry when the Dursleys weren't looking, and slipped a bag of Chocolate Frogs into his backpack.
*
Uncle Vernon drove Harry to King's Cross Station the next day. As usual, he left Harry to find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for himself, not in the least caring whether he got lost or not.
Harry didn't get lost though, quite contrary to his uncle's wishes. As he walked nonchalantly through the solid barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, he wondered vaguely who would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.
But the thought left his mind as he spotted Ron, Hermione, and Ginny talking to Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Fred and George Weasley. He walked over to them and talked a while, before they were joined by Neville Longbottom, who had, once again, lost his toad.
A few minutes after that, they boarded the train to Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all went into the same compartment, all anticipating the next year at Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Express was about to leave, and the doors had already closed, when suddenly a strangely familiar voice could be heard crying out:
"Wait! Wait! Stop ze train!"
It stopped. Everyone in the compartment crowded against the window, but nobody saw who had stopped the train, until their compartment door opened and a strikingly beautiful girl with long, silver-blonde hair walked in. She looked around the compartment, and her large, light blue eyes rested on -
" 'Arry!"
Harry gasped.
"Fleur?"
---------------------------
Author's Note: Haha, another cliffhanger. What's Fleur Delacour doing on the Hogwarts Express? Next chapter coming soon! Now, Review!
Many thanks to Silver, who was the first one to review, and to Rae, Lily, Jedia12, Hermione Granger Weasley, LTBaby5, WedgeScriv, KNA, Scott Potter, Katameran, and Herm, who were the next ones to review, in that order. Thank you all! (And I hope I didn't misspell any names or miss anybody!)
And a very special thank-you to James Horner and John Williams, who compose really inspiring music. :)