Squib Summer
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Epilogue One: The Boy Who Still Had Homework
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
All less recognizable characters should be in bed by now.
Harry kept telling himself that he wasn't bitter. He knew it was
dangerous for him to go to the Weasleys'. He knew that Dumbledore had
important work to get to, he couldn't expect the Headmaster to baby-sit
him for the rest of the summer. Maybe if he told himself that often
enough, the acid churning in his stomach would stop reminding him he
had, once again, been dumped at the Dursleys' doorstep like a bag of
dirty laundry.
"So, even your freak friends don't want you, do they?" had been Aunt
Petunia's greeting.
"They wouldn't dream of depriving you of the pleasure of my company,"
Harry had said with as much dignity as he could muster before sending
himself to his room.
He tried to comfort himself with the thought that at least he'd got to
see the Weasleys and the Grangers. He'd been in the hospital more than a
week. The day after he and Filch had arrived, he'd developed a fever and
had been put into a separate room. The fever hadn't lasted long, but it
had added to his recuperation time, and the hospital staff was probably
bewildered at his gratitude for that.
The Weasleys had come the most often, of course. They had an easier trip
than the Grangers. Mrs. Weasley and Ron had been there every day, and
the others had visited almost as often. Until Filch left the hospital,
the Weasleys had brought treats for both himself and Filch at every
visit. Mrs. Weasley had knitted a red scarf with gold lions for Harry
and a purple scarf with grey cats for Mr. Filch.
Ron kept bringing Quidditch magazines for both the patients. ("Look,
Hermione, reading material!" Ron had smirked at Hermione when the
Grangers had arrived. Hermione had just rolled her eyes.)
Ginny had come several times, too. Which must have prompted the strange
dream Harry had had about her at the beginning of the week, when he was
still inclined to drowse off during the Weasleys' visits. He had dreamed
that Ginny had stolen a kiss. Harry fingered the no-spill inkwell that
Ginny had made out of clay and wondered. Surely she wouldn't have done
something like that in a room full of her family, not to mention Filch!
Shy little Ginny? It must have been a dream, mustn't it?
The Grangers had managed come four times. On their first visit, they had
brought him some puzzle books. On their second, they'd brought a book
about owls. Prof. McGonagall had come by while he was asleep and had
left him a set of muggle clothing. Harry figured that his gratitude must
have been pathetic, because on their third and fourth visits, the
Grangers had brought him clothing: a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt
with an owl printed on it, to be exact.
Hagrid had visited after Filch had gone home, bringing a hand carved
puzzle box. Filch owled him some bed socks from Gladrags in Hogwarts
(perhaps to remind him to STAY IN BED) and a wax mouth guard like the
nurse had used earlier. Apparently, Filch had become fond of the things.
Harry didn't really want to know what Filch had in mind for them. Fred
and George were probably lucky Filch hadn't stumbled across them while
they were still at Hogwarts.
He'd even received a mysterious package which turned out (after it had
been thoroughly examined by first Bill Weasley, then Albus Dumbledore)
to be a book of riddles. The unsigned card merely said: "Riddling is a
useful skill. Good luck, Boy."
Harry sighed and thumbed through the book of riddles, then he picked up
his Defense Against Dark Arts essay. He'd never be able to look at 'Dark
Creatures' the same way ever again; not after the way the Sphinx had
obviously come to their aid. The Bean-sidhe and the Harpy had also
helped them, though not as openly as the Sphinx had.
Slowly he shredded the foot and a half that he had completed on his
essay. There was no way he could continue along his original line of
thought.
He picked up his quill. "The second most import thing in Defense Against
the Dark Arts is knowing who your enemies are. The first is knowing who
your friends are. It's too easy to classify people and other beings as
'Us' and 'Them'.
"However, the line between 'Us' and 'Them' can shift abruptly. So-called
dark creatures can show themselves to be sympathetic, even heroic, while
some humans can prove to have less humanity in them than a sphinx, or a
banshee, or a harpy..." Harry paused, then added. "...Or a werewolf, or a
giant."
There was a knock at the door. Harry looked around, startled. "Who's
there?"
"It's Dudley."
"What do you want?" Harry asked crossly.
"I've brought you some tea," was Dudley's surprisingly meek answer.
Harry opened the door. Dudley stood in the hall with a tray of tea and
scones.
"It didn't look like you'd eaten much breakfast," Dudley said, almost
shyly.
Harry stared at him. "What's got into you?" he demanded.
Dudley scuffed his foot on the floor. "Look, I know I've never been nice
to you before but, well, I never... ." Dudley hesitated. "I thought you
were going to die!"
"I didn't think you cared," Harry said, bewildered.
"I didn't think I cared, either," admitted Dudley. "But I didn't... I
mean..." he held up the tray. "Tea?" he finished.
"Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would have a fit if they knew you were
feeding me." Harry said warily.
"I know," Dudley said. A look of... defiance?... flashed across his pudgy
face. "I don't care. I'm tired of them treating me like a three year
old."
There was a long pause. Then Harry moved back and let Dudley come in.
Yes, the line between 'Us' and 'Them' can shift unexpectedly.
*******
Epilogue Two: 'Dear Minerva...'
Seated behind my desk, chewing thoughtfully on the end of my quill, I
contemplated the letter I was writing to Minerva McGonagall.
My lovely professor had briefly interrupted her previous mission to
visit St. Mungo's. She had gone to look in on Potter while he'd slept,
and had then spent a while sitting with me. I had poured out my heart to
her on the subject of the boy. The heavy burdens that he was expected to
carry, the miserable situation at his Aunt's house and my own guilty
feelings over the way I'd treated him in the past.
Minerva had no answers to offer, but her presence had been a great
comfort.
"Thank you for being so patient with my railings," I wrote. "I know that
you don't like to see him with those Muggles any more than I do.
"Yes, I know that I am not the worst of the evils that the boy has faced
in his short life. But I do have many bitter regrets. Things I wish that
I had not said to him, chores I wish I had not given him to do. Most of
the brats come to us so dreadfully spoiled... I consider it my duty to
show them that the sun does not rise and set according to their whims. I
wish that I'd known he was different. I should have guessed. There were
things that he said, clues that I was too blind to see. I must try to
make it up to him, somehow.
Rest assured that my idea of making amends will NOT be to treat the boy
indulgently...
"I'm very glad to hear that the boy is now under your watchful eye and
the Pup's too. Even if the poor child doesn't know that the two of you
are so near. Please try not to let the Pup talk you into doing anything
reckless. You know that you will have to be prudent enough for everyone
if there is any sort of trouble..." sighing, I crossed out `if,' and
wrote `when' instead. "...from either those Muggles the boy lives with,
or anyone even worse.
"I really did not expect A- D- to change his mind on the subject of the
boy's summer lodgings, but I thank you for trying anyway.
Minerva, please, do not worry about me. I promise that the misadventure
caused me no lasting harm. Hagrid has delayed his leaving for over a
week now, first because he was worried about the boy and then because he
wished to allow me time to recuperate. But owls bearing perfumed
missives signed "O- M-" have been arriving for him in ever increasing
numbers. I do not expect him to wait for much longer.
"Do you remember the card that came to me at St. Mungo's from someone
named `Celaeno?' It turns out that Celaeno is the Harpy. Hagrid knows
her. The oaf was rather amused to learn that she'd sent me a card. I've
written her a polite thank you note in return. Staying on a Harpy's good
side would be the most prudent thing to do. Not that a Harpy actually
HAS a good side, but you know what I mean.
"Things at the Castle have been, for the most part, uneventful since I
wrote to you last. Peeves hasn't been too much of a nuisance since the
time he got too close and I was able to shove one of those wax gags in
his mouth. What useful things they are!
"I am sorely tempted to ask you to give the Pup a good swift kick for
me. I never should have let him talk me into redecorating Myrtle's
bathroom! The brat still clings adamantly to the idea of purple stalls,
but I think that she may be willing to consider a rather pleasant shade
of pale green for the walls.
"Please, dear Minerva, look after yourself, the boy and the Pup. And
write to me again, as soon as you can.
"Mrs. Norris sends her regards as well.
All my love,
Argus."
*******
Epilogue Three: The Predator's Wake
The Sphinx was at the Leaky Cauldron once again. It seemed only fitting.
She found one of her fellow 'judges' sitting at the bar clutching a
flagon of something in her claw.
"Back again?" the Harpy asked dryly.
"I decided I needed a drink," Hypatia answered in dignified tones.
"Agreed," sighed a dim figure that floated in from the ceiling. "Tom, a
whiskey and soda, please."
"I'll take a whiskey milk punch, please," said Hypatia.
"Whiskey Beer Sour for me," Celaeno, the Harpy grunted, gulping down the
remains of her beer. "Might as well make it an all whiskey party."
"Maybe I'll be different and have a Banshee, the Caoimhe Bean-Sidhe
said.
"Cute, girl," snorted Hypatia.
"Is there some special occasion?" Tom asked cautiously. Normally, he
would not nose into the affairs of predatory types, but the three seemed
to be in a chatty mood, and something was definitely up.
"Aye," the Bean-side said. " 'Tis a wake, Tom. The Grey Devourer will
devour no more children."
"She's definitely dead then?" asked Celaeno.
"Oh, aye, she's really most sincerely dead," avowed the Caoimhe Bean-
Sidhe. "I felt her doom on her heels when she came in here over a week
ago, asking for judges. I feared the death I felt was that of her prey.
I didn't realize she'd set herself against HIM, the breaker of dark
wizards."
"The Greyling was a fool all right," Hypatia agreed. "I knew when I saw
The Boy that he'd take the day."
"But he didn't kill her," asserted the Harpy. "It was the Dark Lord's
minions who brought her before the nameless upstart. The Dark Wizard is
the one who put her out of our misery. I am yay close to thinking I
should feel a scrap of gratitude toward him."
"The grey stalker met her doom only because the breaker of dark wizards
won free," said the Caoimhe Bean-Sidhe. "That child will not be easy
meat. Not when he can rally protectors around him like the broken wizard
and his cat."
Tom frowned, he hadn't gone to Hogwarts, but it didn't take an
Arithmancy professor to calculate how many children could be called
'Breaker of Dark Wizards.' This had to be about Harry Potter.
"And us," added Hypatia dryly. "He even draws the likes of us to his
side."The other two predators nodded. "Tom, join us in a toast, will
you?" asked Hypatia.
Tom poured himself whiskey, neat, he surely needed a stiff drink now,
and listened for the toast.
"The Boy Who Lived!" said Hypatia, raising her glass.
The others echoed her words.
THE END
Authors' Notes:
Jelsemium-- In case anybody's interested in the aforementioned drinks.
(If you think it's appropriate to add this, Ozma.)
(Okay, it's educational! -Ozma)
Banshee -- 1 oz. White Crème de Cacao 1 oz. Crème de Banana 1 oz. Cream
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and
strain into a cocktail glass.
Whiskey Beer Sour- 1 can(s) Frozen Lemonade (from Concentrate)- 1 can(s)
Beer- 12 oz WhiskeyDirections/Comments: In a pitcher mix beer, whiskey,
and lemonade. Pour 1/3 of the mix with 4 cups ice in blender. (Add or
remove ice as desired.) Blend and pour. Makes about 10 drinks. You can
use a lot more than 12 oz whiskey and the lemonade will kill the taste.
Whiskey Milk Punch Ingredients:* 2 oz Blended whiskey * 1 tsp Powdered
sugar * 8 oz Milk * Nutmeg Mixing instructions:Shake all ingredients
(except nutmeg) with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Sprinkle
nutmeg on top and serve.
Whiskey, Neat -- Just dump it into the glass! ;-)
Alla: Thank you!! Actually, I agree with Harry too. But Filch is such a
stubborn old grump. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't tell
Snape that he was right about Harry's cloak. (I've been thinking about a
scene where Filch defends Harry to Snape, the way that he defended Snape
to Harry. Maybe in a future story.)
I am hoping that the end of GOF signals a change in the way that Snape
and Harry perceive each other. I can't wait for Order of the Phoenix to
come out!!! -Ozma
Alla -- Thanks! Glad you liked the conversation, that was pretty close to an actual conversation, since Ozma was writing Filch's side and I was writing Harry's. ** Actually, Harry wasn't even trying to keep information from Snape, he was just trying to delay its arrival a little. He wanted to put off Snape's gloat fest for a while. ** I expect that the relationship between Harry and Snape will have to change, considering the big changes that happened in Goblet of Fire. To quote Benjamin Franklin: "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separate." -- Jelsemium
Gramarye: Thank you for doing all these chapter by chapter reviews!! I
thought that the spell around Harry and the Dursleys would have to be a
rather impressive one. Though I do wonder if it would be as strong
around Vernon, since he's not technically Harry's blood relative as
Petunia and Dudley are.
The idea that Petunia could have been referring to *all* wizards as
"freaks" was so alien to Filch. He never would have understood if Harry
hadn't explained.
It makes me laugh whenever Filch says "Gryffindors" and means it as an
insult. Though Minerva did turn that habit of his on its ear very neatly
once, so he won't dare to do it around her. -Ozma
Gramarye -- Thanks for the reviews! I like knowing what parts you
particularly liked. ** I thought Ozma's description of the magic that bound
Harry and the Dursleys was perfect. ** Poor Harry, he can't do anything right
around Petunia. She doesn't want him there, but she doesn't want him to go
someplace where he'll be happy, either. ** Yeah, we worked hard getting in
some nasty cliffhangers. Wouldn't want to disappoint our audience! ** I liked
'Gryffindors' as an insult, too. So I started using that. ** I expect the
Dark Creatures would be afraid of Voldemort. They're in just as much danger,
if not more, from him than any of the witches or wizards. ** Yes, it never
occured to Filch to think that The Boy Who Lived was not well treated at
home. ** Yep, Harry's talent for trouble decided to not take summer off this
year. Poor baby. I wonder what J. K. has in mind for him. -Jelsemium
Goggled Monkey: Thank you!! Filch resisted the temptation to accept
Harry's offer to let him borrow the Cloak. The talk between Filch and
Harry was especially fun to write, Jelsemium and I wrote that scene as a
real give-and-take exchanging dialogue via e-mail. (She wrote Harry, I
wrote Filch.) Even if Filch feels more kindly towards many of 'the
brat's he'll still yell at them for breaking rules and for tracking mud
on his beloved floors. -Ozma
Goggled Monkey -- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the conversation
between Harry and Filch. Harry's a good kid, really. Not sure where he
learned good manners. Maybe a case of the Dursleys enforcing a 'Do as I say,
not as Dudley does' rule. -Jelsemium
Durayan: Thank you!! No, Filch didn't understand that Harry doesn't
really mind cleaning the Castle. (Harry probably enjoys being told when
he's done a good job for a change.) I agree that it's difficult to
imagine Snape and Harry learning to appreciate each other. Though I'm
hoping that it's something Rowling will have happen in the books. -Ozma
Durayan -- Thanks for reviewing! Find anything interesting under your bed?
I've got a Harry Potter poster under mine right now. (Flattening it out so I
can put it on my wall. ** I loved Filch comparing Dumbledore to Hagrid and
Dumbledore taking it as a compliment. (Ozma's doing, by the way.) ** Yes, I
like to see Filch as being fair minded. True, it's not the tasks themselves
that are abusive. There's nothing wrong with having children do some
housework. It's the extent of the work Harry was expected to do, and how
little reward he got for it. ** It will be a while before Harry and Snape
really get past their distaste for each other, if they ever do. I wonder
where Rowling will go with this relationship. -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Yes, the Filch action figures MUST come with
the Four Doors. And how about playsets of the Founders' Secret Chambers?
Helga's Workroom, Rowena's Library, Godric's Keep and Salazar's Study
(which hasn't shown up yet.) I love the beds and the porcupine quills!
-Ozma
Ariana Deralte -- Thanks for the lovely, long review! ** I did enjoy having
Harry explain his rule breaking to the disciplinarian. ** Thanks for the
compliment on the trick stair dialog. Filch would know about that stair of
course, so he could easily picture where Harry was during that confrontation.
He might want to mention to Snape that Harry almost had a heart attack then.
** I like a story with that combines action with some interesting
conversations. Glad the conversations worked! ** Filch's very own hospital
bed? What about Harry's? He winds up there at least once a novel. Love the
idea of buying the Doors separately, with porcupine quills! So, does the
Sirius pack come with a big black dog? And will there be a pack with the
chains and manacles? How about a Neville and melted cauldron pack? Whoa, it's
late, I'm babbling... better finish Durayan's comment... -Jelsemium
Shadowycat: Thank you!! I agree about Snape's reaction to the news of
Harry's awful home-life. He'd be shocked and apalled but he wouldn't let
it show.
Filch knows that he has a tendency to be petty, especially when he's
tired and feeling overworked and put upon. He tries to be honorable, but
is unaware that he sometimes succeeds. -Ozma
Shadowycat -- Thanks for the review! Filch tends to underestimate himself.
(As does Harry.) ** I think Snape would be shocked if he ever met the
Dursleys. I hope Rowling does that someday. ** I'm glad you liked Harry's
explanation. Yes, both Harry and Filch have good reasons for their actions. I
think that's what makes any conflict between them so interesting. They're
both trying to do the right thing. -Jelsemium
Angel: Thank you for your story comments!! Harry was pretty traumatized, and not really ready to talk yet. -Ozma
Angel -- Thanks! I think that Dumbledore realized that Harry was really in no
condition to talk right then. He was poisoned and not really coherent. (As
witness him calling the Sphinx a Gryffindor.) -Jelsemium
Spark-Chick: Thank you!! Yes, Filch was wise not to verbalize the
comparison between Harry and Snape. The stories that Filch tells Harry
about the Marauder era are going to be left to the readers'
imaginations. -Ozma
Spark-chick -- Thanks for the review! It amuses me to think that Snape and
Harry would have identical reactions to being compared. "I'm not ANYTHING
like HIM!" -Jelsemium
RADKA: Thank you for your comments on "Squib Summer" and "Squib Without
A Clue!" Like you I'm very eager to know more about Snape. And I WANT
BOOK FIVE!!!
Yes, I wrote a new chapter of "Squib Apprentice." Wriggling through pre-
existing plotlines is such good exercise. Dumbledore mentions "making
arrangements" (in GOF) for Harry to spend time at the Weasleys. I took
this to mean additional protective magic, cast by Dumbledore and the
Weasleys to help guard Harry while he's away from his blood-kin. Pre
GOF, Voldemort hadn't physically arisen yet, so the situation wasn't so
desperate. -Ozma
RADKA -- I don't think that Harry is ONLY safe with the Dursleys. I think
he's just SAFEST with the Dursleys. I expect that there are special
protections put in place on the Burrow when he's there. As for staying in
Diagon Alley or going to the World Cup -- There are so many other Wizards
there, it would be very risky for anybody to try to attack Harry. ** I'm
always up for reading more Squib Apprentice, Ozma! ** No insulting Ms.
Rowling. First, she was being sued by an idiot. (Who so thoroughly convinced
the judge that she was a lying idiot, that he threw her case out of court
*with extreme prejudice!* Then she got married, and now she's expecting!) **
Another fact we have about James is that he (and Lily) were close to
Dumbledore. (Hagrid said that in the first book.) ** Personally, I think
Snape's actions hinge on Lily. He was in love with Lily, even though she was
a Muggle-born. She married James, so Snape went and joined Voldemort and the
'Muggle-borns are second class citizens' group. Then, Snape found out that
Lily was a target, and switched back to Dumbledore's team. (In Prisoner of
Azkaban, Fudge said that one of Dumbledore's spies tipped him off that the
Potters were a target.) -Jelsemium
Miriam: Thank you!! But, you do understand the situation with the
Invisibility Cloak. You summed it up perfectly! Snape knows about the
Invisibility Cloak, but Filch refused to believe Snape's story that
Harry had such a cloak. (Rowling has never come out and said this, but I
think that if Filch KNEW about the cloak, then he'd set up `invisible
intruder' traps in the corridors to catch Harry sneaking about after
hours.)
Yes, Harry doesn't want Filch to tell Snape that he knows about the
cloak because it will bring up a subject that Harry would sooner not
bring up, and give Snape another reason to be angry at Harry. And Snape
will expect Filch to confiscate the cloak. When Filch tells Snape why he
won't, Harry is worried about the Potions Master's reaction.
I do have an idea for a future story where Filch tells Snape about
Harry's terrible home-life. (Filch knows that Harry would rather he
didn't say anything, but he's hoping to soften Snape's heart towards the
boy.) How will Snape react to this news? Well, I don't think that he
would soften visibly towards Harry. He might go from being outright mean
to simply ignoring him. Inside, I think that Snape would regret his past
harshness, but it's not in his nature to apologize. (My theory about
Snape is that he was an abused child himself.)
How do I think Snape would react if he saw Harry's life at the Dursleys
for himself? I think he'd feel honor bound to protect the boy, as he's
done in the past from more dangerous enemies. Rabbit-and-Jinx have
written a wonderful story dealing with that situation. `Yet Another
Snape Meets The Dursleys story.'
We're leaving the stories that Filch tells Harry about his parents up to
the readers' imaginations. -Ozma
Miriam -- Thanks for the lovely, long review, and more thanks for saying
which parts you particularly liked. Always helpful to know what works. In
some ways, I'd say that Filch is the most impartial adult in Hogwarts. He
doesn't see Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Slytherins. He just sees
BRATS! ;-) ** Sorry we were confusing. Yes, Snape knows about James' cloak.
Harry was asking Argus to not admit to Snape that Argus knows about the
cloak. (Basically, Harry is asking Argus to hold off on apologizing to
Snape.) ** I like the idea of Argus telling Snape that Harry is not a spoiled
brat when he tells him what he's learned. ** Thanks for the compliment on
Harry's explanation of his rule-breaking. I worked hard on that scene. I
wanted to explain Harry's dilemma as I saw it. ** The comparison between
Harry and Snape is Ozma's doing and I agree, it was well done! -Jelsemium
A. Lee: Thank you!! Well, we weren't quite finished last time. This is
the ending. I had fun writing Filch being tempted to borrow the Cloak.
-Ozma
A. Lee -- Harry can be persuasive, unfortunately, Argus already had his mind
made up. He almost got him with that 'bribe' though! -Jelsemium
Andrea13: Thank you!! It's fun for me to think of Filch's assorted plays
on "The Boy Who..." So far Harry's been "The Boy Who Distracted Snape"
and "The Boy Who Has More Sense Than A Pair of Grown Wizards I Could
Mention." And now he'd rather be "The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard Of."
Harry is such a versatile young man. It's part of what makes him so
lovable. -Ozma
Andrea13 -- Thanks for the review! I liked "The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard
Of" line too. Ozma has a way with words. How does Harry manage to be
"endearing, pathetic, and heroic" at the same time? He gets it from his Mum
(or rather, Mums, both Lily and Joanne). Glad we've been able to capture
that! -Jelsemium
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Epilogue One: The Boy Who Still Had Homework
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
All less recognizable characters should be in bed by now.
Harry kept telling himself that he wasn't bitter. He knew it was
dangerous for him to go to the Weasleys'. He knew that Dumbledore had
important work to get to, he couldn't expect the Headmaster to baby-sit
him for the rest of the summer. Maybe if he told himself that often
enough, the acid churning in his stomach would stop reminding him he
had, once again, been dumped at the Dursleys' doorstep like a bag of
dirty laundry.
"So, even your freak friends don't want you, do they?" had been Aunt
Petunia's greeting.
"They wouldn't dream of depriving you of the pleasure of my company,"
Harry had said with as much dignity as he could muster before sending
himself to his room.
He tried to comfort himself with the thought that at least he'd got to
see the Weasleys and the Grangers. He'd been in the hospital more than a
week. The day after he and Filch had arrived, he'd developed a fever and
had been put into a separate room. The fever hadn't lasted long, but it
had added to his recuperation time, and the hospital staff was probably
bewildered at his gratitude for that.
The Weasleys had come the most often, of course. They had an easier trip
than the Grangers. Mrs. Weasley and Ron had been there every day, and
the others had visited almost as often. Until Filch left the hospital,
the Weasleys had brought treats for both himself and Filch at every
visit. Mrs. Weasley had knitted a red scarf with gold lions for Harry
and a purple scarf with grey cats for Mr. Filch.
Ron kept bringing Quidditch magazines for both the patients. ("Look,
Hermione, reading material!" Ron had smirked at Hermione when the
Grangers had arrived. Hermione had just rolled her eyes.)
Ginny had come several times, too. Which must have prompted the strange
dream Harry had had about her at the beginning of the week, when he was
still inclined to drowse off during the Weasleys' visits. He had dreamed
that Ginny had stolen a kiss. Harry fingered the no-spill inkwell that
Ginny had made out of clay and wondered. Surely she wouldn't have done
something like that in a room full of her family, not to mention Filch!
Shy little Ginny? It must have been a dream, mustn't it?
The Grangers had managed come four times. On their first visit, they had
brought him some puzzle books. On their second, they'd brought a book
about owls. Prof. McGonagall had come by while he was asleep and had
left him a set of muggle clothing. Harry figured that his gratitude must
have been pathetic, because on their third and fourth visits, the
Grangers had brought him clothing: a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt
with an owl printed on it, to be exact.
Hagrid had visited after Filch had gone home, bringing a hand carved
puzzle box. Filch owled him some bed socks from Gladrags in Hogwarts
(perhaps to remind him to STAY IN BED) and a wax mouth guard like the
nurse had used earlier. Apparently, Filch had become fond of the things.
Harry didn't really want to know what Filch had in mind for them. Fred
and George were probably lucky Filch hadn't stumbled across them while
they were still at Hogwarts.
He'd even received a mysterious package which turned out (after it had
been thoroughly examined by first Bill Weasley, then Albus Dumbledore)
to be a book of riddles. The unsigned card merely said: "Riddling is a
useful skill. Good luck, Boy."
Harry sighed and thumbed through the book of riddles, then he picked up
his Defense Against Dark Arts essay. He'd never be able to look at 'Dark
Creatures' the same way ever again; not after the way the Sphinx had
obviously come to their aid. The Bean-sidhe and the Harpy had also
helped them, though not as openly as the Sphinx had.
Slowly he shredded the foot and a half that he had completed on his
essay. There was no way he could continue along his original line of
thought.
He picked up his quill. "The second most import thing in Defense Against
the Dark Arts is knowing who your enemies are. The first is knowing who
your friends are. It's too easy to classify people and other beings as
'Us' and 'Them'.
"However, the line between 'Us' and 'Them' can shift abruptly. So-called
dark creatures can show themselves to be sympathetic, even heroic, while
some humans can prove to have less humanity in them than a sphinx, or a
banshee, or a harpy..." Harry paused, then added. "...Or a werewolf, or a
giant."
There was a knock at the door. Harry looked around, startled. "Who's
there?"
"It's Dudley."
"What do you want?" Harry asked crossly.
"I've brought you some tea," was Dudley's surprisingly meek answer.
Harry opened the door. Dudley stood in the hall with a tray of tea and
scones.
"It didn't look like you'd eaten much breakfast," Dudley said, almost
shyly.
Harry stared at him. "What's got into you?" he demanded.
Dudley scuffed his foot on the floor. "Look, I know I've never been nice
to you before but, well, I never... ." Dudley hesitated. "I thought you
were going to die!"
"I didn't think you cared," Harry said, bewildered.
"I didn't think I cared, either," admitted Dudley. "But I didn't... I
mean..." he held up the tray. "Tea?" he finished.
"Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would have a fit if they knew you were
feeding me." Harry said warily.
"I know," Dudley said. A look of... defiance?... flashed across his pudgy
face. "I don't care. I'm tired of them treating me like a three year
old."
There was a long pause. Then Harry moved back and let Dudley come in.
Yes, the line between 'Us' and 'Them' can shift unexpectedly.
*******
Epilogue Two: 'Dear Minerva...'
Seated behind my desk, chewing thoughtfully on the end of my quill, I
contemplated the letter I was writing to Minerva McGonagall.
My lovely professor had briefly interrupted her previous mission to
visit St. Mungo's. She had gone to look in on Potter while he'd slept,
and had then spent a while sitting with me. I had poured out my heart to
her on the subject of the boy. The heavy burdens that he was expected to
carry, the miserable situation at his Aunt's house and my own guilty
feelings over the way I'd treated him in the past.
Minerva had no answers to offer, but her presence had been a great
comfort.
"Thank you for being so patient with my railings," I wrote. "I know that
you don't like to see him with those Muggles any more than I do.
"Yes, I know that I am not the worst of the evils that the boy has faced
in his short life. But I do have many bitter regrets. Things I wish that
I had not said to him, chores I wish I had not given him to do. Most of
the brats come to us so dreadfully spoiled... I consider it my duty to
show them that the sun does not rise and set according to their whims. I
wish that I'd known he was different. I should have guessed. There were
things that he said, clues that I was too blind to see. I must try to
make it up to him, somehow.
Rest assured that my idea of making amends will NOT be to treat the boy
indulgently...
"I'm very glad to hear that the boy is now under your watchful eye and
the Pup's too. Even if the poor child doesn't know that the two of you
are so near. Please try not to let the Pup talk you into doing anything
reckless. You know that you will have to be prudent enough for everyone
if there is any sort of trouble..." sighing, I crossed out `if,' and
wrote `when' instead. "...from either those Muggles the boy lives with,
or anyone even worse.
"I really did not expect A- D- to change his mind on the subject of the
boy's summer lodgings, but I thank you for trying anyway.
Minerva, please, do not worry about me. I promise that the misadventure
caused me no lasting harm. Hagrid has delayed his leaving for over a
week now, first because he was worried about the boy and then because he
wished to allow me time to recuperate. But owls bearing perfumed
missives signed "O- M-" have been arriving for him in ever increasing
numbers. I do not expect him to wait for much longer.
"Do you remember the card that came to me at St. Mungo's from someone
named `Celaeno?' It turns out that Celaeno is the Harpy. Hagrid knows
her. The oaf was rather amused to learn that she'd sent me a card. I've
written her a polite thank you note in return. Staying on a Harpy's good
side would be the most prudent thing to do. Not that a Harpy actually
HAS a good side, but you know what I mean.
"Things at the Castle have been, for the most part, uneventful since I
wrote to you last. Peeves hasn't been too much of a nuisance since the
time he got too close and I was able to shove one of those wax gags in
his mouth. What useful things they are!
"I am sorely tempted to ask you to give the Pup a good swift kick for
me. I never should have let him talk me into redecorating Myrtle's
bathroom! The brat still clings adamantly to the idea of purple stalls,
but I think that she may be willing to consider a rather pleasant shade
of pale green for the walls.
"Please, dear Minerva, look after yourself, the boy and the Pup. And
write to me again, as soon as you can.
"Mrs. Norris sends her regards as well.
All my love,
Argus."
*******
Epilogue Three: The Predator's Wake
The Sphinx was at the Leaky Cauldron once again. It seemed only fitting.
She found one of her fellow 'judges' sitting at the bar clutching a
flagon of something in her claw.
"Back again?" the Harpy asked dryly.
"I decided I needed a drink," Hypatia answered in dignified tones.
"Agreed," sighed a dim figure that floated in from the ceiling. "Tom, a
whiskey and soda, please."
"I'll take a whiskey milk punch, please," said Hypatia.
"Whiskey Beer Sour for me," Celaeno, the Harpy grunted, gulping down the
remains of her beer. "Might as well make it an all whiskey party."
"Maybe I'll be different and have a Banshee, the Caoimhe Bean-Sidhe
said.
"Cute, girl," snorted Hypatia.
"Is there some special occasion?" Tom asked cautiously. Normally, he
would not nose into the affairs of predatory types, but the three seemed
to be in a chatty mood, and something was definitely up.
"Aye," the Bean-side said. " 'Tis a wake, Tom. The Grey Devourer will
devour no more children."
"She's definitely dead then?" asked Celaeno.
"Oh, aye, she's really most sincerely dead," avowed the Caoimhe Bean-
Sidhe. "I felt her doom on her heels when she came in here over a week
ago, asking for judges. I feared the death I felt was that of her prey.
I didn't realize she'd set herself against HIM, the breaker of dark
wizards."
"The Greyling was a fool all right," Hypatia agreed. "I knew when I saw
The Boy that he'd take the day."
"But he didn't kill her," asserted the Harpy. "It was the Dark Lord's
minions who brought her before the nameless upstart. The Dark Wizard is
the one who put her out of our misery. I am yay close to thinking I
should feel a scrap of gratitude toward him."
"The grey stalker met her doom only because the breaker of dark wizards
won free," said the Caoimhe Bean-Sidhe. "That child will not be easy
meat. Not when he can rally protectors around him like the broken wizard
and his cat."
Tom frowned, he hadn't gone to Hogwarts, but it didn't take an
Arithmancy professor to calculate how many children could be called
'Breaker of Dark Wizards.' This had to be about Harry Potter.
"And us," added Hypatia dryly. "He even draws the likes of us to his
side."The other two predators nodded. "Tom, join us in a toast, will
you?" asked Hypatia.
Tom poured himself whiskey, neat, he surely needed a stiff drink now,
and listened for the toast.
"The Boy Who Lived!" said Hypatia, raising her glass.
The others echoed her words.
THE END
Authors' Notes:
Jelsemium-- In case anybody's interested in the aforementioned drinks.
(If you think it's appropriate to add this, Ozma.)
(Okay, it's educational! -Ozma)
Banshee -- 1 oz. White Crème de Cacao 1 oz. Crème de Banana 1 oz. Cream
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and
strain into a cocktail glass.
Whiskey Beer Sour- 1 can(s) Frozen Lemonade (from Concentrate)- 1 can(s)
Beer- 12 oz WhiskeyDirections/Comments: In a pitcher mix beer, whiskey,
and lemonade. Pour 1/3 of the mix with 4 cups ice in blender. (Add or
remove ice as desired.) Blend and pour. Makes about 10 drinks. You can
use a lot more than 12 oz whiskey and the lemonade will kill the taste.
Whiskey Milk Punch Ingredients:* 2 oz Blended whiskey * 1 tsp Powdered
sugar * 8 oz Milk * Nutmeg Mixing instructions:Shake all ingredients
(except nutmeg) with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Sprinkle
nutmeg on top and serve.
Whiskey, Neat -- Just dump it into the glass! ;-)
Alla: Thank you!! Actually, I agree with Harry too. But Filch is such a
stubborn old grump. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't tell
Snape that he was right about Harry's cloak. (I've been thinking about a
scene where Filch defends Harry to Snape, the way that he defended Snape
to Harry. Maybe in a future story.)
I am hoping that the end of GOF signals a change in the way that Snape
and Harry perceive each other. I can't wait for Order of the Phoenix to
come out!!! -Ozma
Alla -- Thanks! Glad you liked the conversation, that was pretty close to an actual conversation, since Ozma was writing Filch's side and I was writing Harry's. ** Actually, Harry wasn't even trying to keep information from Snape, he was just trying to delay its arrival a little. He wanted to put off Snape's gloat fest for a while. ** I expect that the relationship between Harry and Snape will have to change, considering the big changes that happened in Goblet of Fire. To quote Benjamin Franklin: "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separate." -- Jelsemium
Gramarye: Thank you for doing all these chapter by chapter reviews!! I
thought that the spell around Harry and the Dursleys would have to be a
rather impressive one. Though I do wonder if it would be as strong
around Vernon, since he's not technically Harry's blood relative as
Petunia and Dudley are.
The idea that Petunia could have been referring to *all* wizards as
"freaks" was so alien to Filch. He never would have understood if Harry
hadn't explained.
It makes me laugh whenever Filch says "Gryffindors" and means it as an
insult. Though Minerva did turn that habit of his on its ear very neatly
once, so he won't dare to do it around her. -Ozma
Gramarye -- Thanks for the reviews! I like knowing what parts you
particularly liked. ** I thought Ozma's description of the magic that bound
Harry and the Dursleys was perfect. ** Poor Harry, he can't do anything right
around Petunia. She doesn't want him there, but she doesn't want him to go
someplace where he'll be happy, either. ** Yeah, we worked hard getting in
some nasty cliffhangers. Wouldn't want to disappoint our audience! ** I liked
'Gryffindors' as an insult, too. So I started using that. ** I expect the
Dark Creatures would be afraid of Voldemort. They're in just as much danger,
if not more, from him than any of the witches or wizards. ** Yes, it never
occured to Filch to think that The Boy Who Lived was not well treated at
home. ** Yep, Harry's talent for trouble decided to not take summer off this
year. Poor baby. I wonder what J. K. has in mind for him. -Jelsemium
Goggled Monkey: Thank you!! Filch resisted the temptation to accept
Harry's offer to let him borrow the Cloak. The talk between Filch and
Harry was especially fun to write, Jelsemium and I wrote that scene as a
real give-and-take exchanging dialogue via e-mail. (She wrote Harry, I
wrote Filch.) Even if Filch feels more kindly towards many of 'the
brat's he'll still yell at them for breaking rules and for tracking mud
on his beloved floors. -Ozma
Goggled Monkey -- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the conversation
between Harry and Filch. Harry's a good kid, really. Not sure where he
learned good manners. Maybe a case of the Dursleys enforcing a 'Do as I say,
not as Dudley does' rule. -Jelsemium
Durayan: Thank you!! No, Filch didn't understand that Harry doesn't
really mind cleaning the Castle. (Harry probably enjoys being told when
he's done a good job for a change.) I agree that it's difficult to
imagine Snape and Harry learning to appreciate each other. Though I'm
hoping that it's something Rowling will have happen in the books. -Ozma
Durayan -- Thanks for reviewing! Find anything interesting under your bed?
I've got a Harry Potter poster under mine right now. (Flattening it out so I
can put it on my wall. ** I loved Filch comparing Dumbledore to Hagrid and
Dumbledore taking it as a compliment. (Ozma's doing, by the way.) ** Yes, I
like to see Filch as being fair minded. True, it's not the tasks themselves
that are abusive. There's nothing wrong with having children do some
housework. It's the extent of the work Harry was expected to do, and how
little reward he got for it. ** It will be a while before Harry and Snape
really get past their distaste for each other, if they ever do. I wonder
where Rowling will go with this relationship. -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Yes, the Filch action figures MUST come with
the Four Doors. And how about playsets of the Founders' Secret Chambers?
Helga's Workroom, Rowena's Library, Godric's Keep and Salazar's Study
(which hasn't shown up yet.) I love the beds and the porcupine quills!
-Ozma
Ariana Deralte -- Thanks for the lovely, long review! ** I did enjoy having
Harry explain his rule breaking to the disciplinarian. ** Thanks for the
compliment on the trick stair dialog. Filch would know about that stair of
course, so he could easily picture where Harry was during that confrontation.
He might want to mention to Snape that Harry almost had a heart attack then.
** I like a story with that combines action with some interesting
conversations. Glad the conversations worked! ** Filch's very own hospital
bed? What about Harry's? He winds up there at least once a novel. Love the
idea of buying the Doors separately, with porcupine quills! So, does the
Sirius pack come with a big black dog? And will there be a pack with the
chains and manacles? How about a Neville and melted cauldron pack? Whoa, it's
late, I'm babbling... better finish Durayan's comment... -Jelsemium
Shadowycat: Thank you!! I agree about Snape's reaction to the news of
Harry's awful home-life. He'd be shocked and apalled but he wouldn't let
it show.
Filch knows that he has a tendency to be petty, especially when he's
tired and feeling overworked and put upon. He tries to be honorable, but
is unaware that he sometimes succeeds. -Ozma
Shadowycat -- Thanks for the review! Filch tends to underestimate himself.
(As does Harry.) ** I think Snape would be shocked if he ever met the
Dursleys. I hope Rowling does that someday. ** I'm glad you liked Harry's
explanation. Yes, both Harry and Filch have good reasons for their actions. I
think that's what makes any conflict between them so interesting. They're
both trying to do the right thing. -Jelsemium
Angel: Thank you for your story comments!! Harry was pretty traumatized, and not really ready to talk yet. -Ozma
Angel -- Thanks! I think that Dumbledore realized that Harry was really in no
condition to talk right then. He was poisoned and not really coherent. (As
witness him calling the Sphinx a Gryffindor.) -Jelsemium
Spark-Chick: Thank you!! Yes, Filch was wise not to verbalize the
comparison between Harry and Snape. The stories that Filch tells Harry
about the Marauder era are going to be left to the readers'
imaginations. -Ozma
Spark-chick -- Thanks for the review! It amuses me to think that Snape and
Harry would have identical reactions to being compared. "I'm not ANYTHING
like HIM!" -Jelsemium
RADKA: Thank you for your comments on "Squib Summer" and "Squib Without
A Clue!" Like you I'm very eager to know more about Snape. And I WANT
BOOK FIVE!!!
Yes, I wrote a new chapter of "Squib Apprentice." Wriggling through pre-
existing plotlines is such good exercise. Dumbledore mentions "making
arrangements" (in GOF) for Harry to spend time at the Weasleys. I took
this to mean additional protective magic, cast by Dumbledore and the
Weasleys to help guard Harry while he's away from his blood-kin. Pre
GOF, Voldemort hadn't physically arisen yet, so the situation wasn't so
desperate. -Ozma
RADKA -- I don't think that Harry is ONLY safe with the Dursleys. I think
he's just SAFEST with the Dursleys. I expect that there are special
protections put in place on the Burrow when he's there. As for staying in
Diagon Alley or going to the World Cup -- There are so many other Wizards
there, it would be very risky for anybody to try to attack Harry. ** I'm
always up for reading more Squib Apprentice, Ozma! ** No insulting Ms.
Rowling. First, she was being sued by an idiot. (Who so thoroughly convinced
the judge that she was a lying idiot, that he threw her case out of court
*with extreme prejudice!* Then she got married, and now she's expecting!) **
Another fact we have about James is that he (and Lily) were close to
Dumbledore. (Hagrid said that in the first book.) ** Personally, I think
Snape's actions hinge on Lily. He was in love with Lily, even though she was
a Muggle-born. She married James, so Snape went and joined Voldemort and the
'Muggle-borns are second class citizens' group. Then, Snape found out that
Lily was a target, and switched back to Dumbledore's team. (In Prisoner of
Azkaban, Fudge said that one of Dumbledore's spies tipped him off that the
Potters were a target.) -Jelsemium
Miriam: Thank you!! But, you do understand the situation with the
Invisibility Cloak. You summed it up perfectly! Snape knows about the
Invisibility Cloak, but Filch refused to believe Snape's story that
Harry had such a cloak. (Rowling has never come out and said this, but I
think that if Filch KNEW about the cloak, then he'd set up `invisible
intruder' traps in the corridors to catch Harry sneaking about after
hours.)
Yes, Harry doesn't want Filch to tell Snape that he knows about the
cloak because it will bring up a subject that Harry would sooner not
bring up, and give Snape another reason to be angry at Harry. And Snape
will expect Filch to confiscate the cloak. When Filch tells Snape why he
won't, Harry is worried about the Potions Master's reaction.
I do have an idea for a future story where Filch tells Snape about
Harry's terrible home-life. (Filch knows that Harry would rather he
didn't say anything, but he's hoping to soften Snape's heart towards the
boy.) How will Snape react to this news? Well, I don't think that he
would soften visibly towards Harry. He might go from being outright mean
to simply ignoring him. Inside, I think that Snape would regret his past
harshness, but it's not in his nature to apologize. (My theory about
Snape is that he was an abused child himself.)
How do I think Snape would react if he saw Harry's life at the Dursleys
for himself? I think he'd feel honor bound to protect the boy, as he's
done in the past from more dangerous enemies. Rabbit-and-Jinx have
written a wonderful story dealing with that situation. `Yet Another
Snape Meets The Dursleys story.'
We're leaving the stories that Filch tells Harry about his parents up to
the readers' imaginations. -Ozma
Miriam -- Thanks for the lovely, long review, and more thanks for saying
which parts you particularly liked. Always helpful to know what works. In
some ways, I'd say that Filch is the most impartial adult in Hogwarts. He
doesn't see Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Slytherins. He just sees
BRATS! ;-) ** Sorry we were confusing. Yes, Snape knows about James' cloak.
Harry was asking Argus to not admit to Snape that Argus knows about the
cloak. (Basically, Harry is asking Argus to hold off on apologizing to
Snape.) ** I like the idea of Argus telling Snape that Harry is not a spoiled
brat when he tells him what he's learned. ** Thanks for the compliment on
Harry's explanation of his rule-breaking. I worked hard on that scene. I
wanted to explain Harry's dilemma as I saw it. ** The comparison between
Harry and Snape is Ozma's doing and I agree, it was well done! -Jelsemium
A. Lee: Thank you!! Well, we weren't quite finished last time. This is
the ending. I had fun writing Filch being tempted to borrow the Cloak.
-Ozma
A. Lee -- Harry can be persuasive, unfortunately, Argus already had his mind
made up. He almost got him with that 'bribe' though! -Jelsemium
Andrea13: Thank you!! It's fun for me to think of Filch's assorted plays
on "The Boy Who..." So far Harry's been "The Boy Who Distracted Snape"
and "The Boy Who Has More Sense Than A Pair of Grown Wizards I Could
Mention." And now he'd rather be "The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard Of."
Harry is such a versatile young man. It's part of what makes him so
lovable. -Ozma
Andrea13 -- Thanks for the review! I liked "The Boy That Nobody Ever Heard
Of" line too. Ozma has a way with words. How does Harry manage to be
"endearing, pathetic, and heroic" at the same time? He gets it from his Mum
(or rather, Mums, both Lily and Joanne). Glad we've been able to capture
that! -Jelsemium