CHAPTER 2:A LEGACY AND A GIFT
It was nearly noon when Harry woke. It was his second day at the Burrow and it was his birthday. He looked over at Ron's bed and found it empty. Could have woken me up, Harry though as he dressed to go downstairs.
Before leaving the room he caught sight of himself in the mirror and stopped short. He looked nothing like he had when he left Privet Drive. Gone were the dark circles and sickly pallor. A skinny but healthy boy stared back at him. No wonder, no one said anything, he thought, they couldn't see to know.
The house was unusually quiet. Where is everyone?, Harry wondered as he made his way down to the kitchen.
Reaching out he opened the door…
"SURPRISE!!"
Harry was still in a state of shock as he was pulled into the already packed kitchen that he could hardly register the faces that suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Sirius… Bill… Charlie… when did you get here?!"
Then Harry heard a very familiar voice he hadn't heard since third year say, "Happy Birthday Harry."
"PROFESSOR LUPIN!" Harry exclaimed.
"Good to see you too Harry," Remus Lupin smiled.
Before they all sat down to breakfast, Ginny whispered to Harry, "Harry, I – I, there's something I have to tell you, I can't tell you now. But when you have the time could you please…?"
Harry nodded, "Are you alright Ginny?" he asked concerned by the way her lively brown eyes suddenly looked haunted as though a greater emotion was going to overpower her any second, he knew that look. It was the same one he would get in his eyes whenever he thought of either Cedric or Voldemort.
Swallowing hard Ginny shook her head and moved away.
After a stumptuous breakfast, Harry began opening his presents. The first was from Ron.
"Wow Ron!" Harry said, tearing away the wrapping paper, revealing a chess board set with beautifully carved chess pieces, "Thanks."
Next was Hermione's, from the looks of it Harry assumed it was a book. Unwrapping it, Harry frowned as he held a tattered looking box in his hand.
"What did you give him in that Hermione?" snorted Ron, "Torn pages of an ancient manuscript?"
"Just wait and see Ron," said Hermione, a mischevious twinkle in her eyes, "Go on Harry, open it."
Lifting the lid Harry's eyes widened. Inside lay about a half a dozen golden Snitches.
A sort of strangled cry came from the rest of the people who stood in the room.
"All these are the Snitches used in the previous World Cups," said Hermione happily, "See the year is inscribed on each of them."
"Wow, Hermione…" Ron breathed, "Where did you get them?". Hermione muttered something that sounded like "Krum…" and for once Ron wasn't going to yell.
Bill's present was a glass sphere with what seemed to be a ring of blue gems suspended in its centre.
"It's called a Curse Deflector," explained Bill, "deflects minor curses and hexes and rebounds it on the person who send it. I'll demonstrate. Hold it in your hand Harry."
Pulling out his wand Bill muttered a curse.
"Fernunculus!"
As the curse hit Harry, he noticed that the ring in the blue ring inside turned red for a brief second before it rebounded the curse onto Bill who avoided it with a simple shield charm. Ron looked delighted.
"I'd love to see the look on Malfoy's face the next time he tries to curse you," he said, "it'll be a perfect – what do Muggles say? – Komak moment."
"You mean Kodak moment," Hermione corrected.
And so the list went on. Dragonhide boots from Charlie, a box of homemade fudge from Mrs.Weasley, a bag of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes from the twins and to his surprise 'Animagus Training For Beginners' from Remus Lupin.
"Professor," Harry asked holding up the book in astonishment, "does this really mean…?"
"Let's just say old Mooney here, suggested a little something to Dumbledore…"
"You're joking," said Harry wide eyed, "Me an Animagus?"
Before either Sirius or Remus could reply a Fred and George shouted together, "MOONEY!?!"
"Professor Lupin YOU"RE Mooney?"
"Yes," he replied with a smile, "oh, by the way I'm not a professor anymore to you, just Remus."
Now Harry turned to the last present that was from Sirius. It looked like a long narrow box. Unwrapping it and opening the lid, Harry looked at the object in surprise. Turning it over he was stunned to see the name engraved on it.
James Potter.
"Where did you get this?" Harry asked in a shaky voice.
"I went to Godric's Hollow," Sirius said heavily, his eyes suddenly looked haunted, " The authorities never found it and assumed it was destroyed."
Harry felt a prickling sensation in the back of his eyes, he knew he was going to cry but right now he couldn't care less.
"How did you find it?" Harry asked trying to keep his voice steady, but failing. Sirius smiled sadly, "Your father's scent is still detectable to me in my Animagus form, when I smelt it I followed it," he paused. The silence that had swept through the room drove the significance of Sirius' next words into all those present.
"You are the heir to your father's legacy, Harry, because you are his legacy."
Harry hugged his godfather tightly,
"I saw him Sirius… the night Cedric died… I saw him and my mum…"
Tears were streaming freely down his face, his breath coming out in ragged sobs, Harry looked at what he gripped tightly in his hand and held it up for all to see.
His father's wand.
Harry was having breakfast at the table in the Burrow, though he wasn't eating anything, merely playing with his food.
Sirius and Remus had left the pervious night, Harry had been told that Sirius would be staying with Remus for the time being. But Harry's subdued manner was mainly due to the fact that he had received his father's wand. Sirius's words still echoed in his head.
You are his legacy.
Harry felt drained somehow, he really didn't feel upto the trip to Diagon Alley. He looked up to see Mrs. Weasley come bustling down the stairs.
"Uh… Mrs.Weasley, is it alright if I stay here?" Harry asked, "I really don't think I'm upto the trip to Diagon Alley."
Molly Weasley looked slightly surprised, but then her face registered understaning, "Alright, Harry dear," she said kindly, looking at him with fondness, "I'll get your books for you," straightening up she added, "Well that makes two."
"Two?" Harry asked. Molly sighed.
"Ginny," she said, "tripped over something and broke her arm, she'll be staying as well."
Ron who was sitting beside Harry looked up, "Ginny broke her arm?"
"Yes," said Molly, "unfortunately I can't mend bones as well as your Madam Pomfrey, she takes a few minutes, mine takes a few hours."
Mrs. Weasley had taken an immense liking to the Hogwarts matron, who had taken excellent care of Harry after his gruelling ordeal at the fourth task of the Triwizard Tournament.
"You alright Harry?" Ron asked. Harry nodded and resumed playing with his porridge, thinking of all the events that had taken place the previous day.
Soon the kitchen of the Burrow was empty except for Harry.
He trugded up the stairs to the room he shared with Ron when he suddenly remembered. Ginny had wanted to tell him something in private, now was the best time to ask her what.
Approaching the door to her room, Harry knocked softly. "Ginny?" he asked softly, "It's me, Harry."
"C–Come in," a shaky voice answered. Even before he entered Harry knew she had been crying. His felt a pang as he looked at the thin figure sitting on the bed, her arm in a sling, shaking with suppressed sobs. He hadn't seen Ginny like this since his second year after he had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets.
He placed a hand on her shoulder as he sat down beside her, "What's wrong Ginny?" he asked. Ginny's eyes were screwed shut, tears poured down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hand.
Harry turned her shoulders so that she faced him, "Ginny please, what did you want to tell me? Ginny what happened?" he couldn't help feeling vaguely panicked. Ginny threw herself in his arms sobbing harder. Harry gently rocked her, trying to calm her down.
"I…found out…day before…in the garden…I understood…it spoke" Ginny managed to say between sobs.
"Found out what Ginny?" Harry asked, "Tell me."
"He's inside me Harry!" she cried even harder, "Harry I'm a Parselmouth."
Harry tightened his grip around Ginny, he felt a surge of hatred for the wizard who had affected so many lives.
"I'm so sorry Ginny," he whispered into her hair, "So sorry…" then after a moment he added, "Ginny please stop crying, please, it hurts."
She looked up at him, surprise evident on her tear streaked face, "Why?" she asked moving back and leaning against the bedstand, "Why does it hurt?"
"Because," Harry began and then stopped. Ginny, who had stopped crying said, "Don't have to tell me…" but Harry cut her off, "No," he said, "someone has to know, Ginny, I've hidden it for too long." With that Harry gave her a full account of evrything that he had felt since the Tournament. His guilt about Cedric, his nightmares of Voldemort's ressurection, everything.
Once he finished, Harry was astonished at himself, never in his whole life had he laid all his feelings bare. He felt exposed, vunerable. A gasp from Ginny drew his attention.
"Harry," she whispered, "your face, you look terrible."
On seeing his reflection in Ginny's mirror, Harry understood what she meant for now he saw himself as the haggard, exhausted boy, who had been in Privet Drive.
"Well," he said, smiling wryly, "accidental magic never really ends does, it?" seeing the puzzled expression on Ginny's face he said, "I looked like this the night before you came to pick me up from the Dursleys and I sort of wished to look, I don't know,- better- I guess."
"Harry," Ginny said, "I didn't mean to load you with my troubles as well, but I didn't know who else to turn to."
"I understand," Harry said warmly, smiling, "it was good for me too in a way, I managed to get it all out of my system," after a pause he added, "you should tell your family."
Ginny nodded grimly, "But to think he's part of me…"
"Ginny a piece of Voldemort may be in you but he'll never be able to be a part of you. You're not like him Ginny."
Ginny wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. She undid the sling and took it off. Harry assumed that her arm was better.
Getting off the bed she picked up a parcel from her desk. "Here," she said holding it out to him, "Happy Birthday Harry."
Harry looked surprised, he really hadn't noticed that he hadn't been given anything by Ginny. He looked at it, whatever it was it was heavy.
"Open it," Ginny said simply.
Tearing away the wrapping Harry lifted the lid of the wodden box and stared. He looked at Ginny, his green eyes wide, "How did you…?"
She turned a little pink. "Well," she began, "I used to save my pocket money since I was little and I had quite a lot. I thought this would…well…be uselful to you after what happened last…" she trailed off looking down at the floor.
Harry looked down at the heavy present.
A Pensive.
People had given him something that would protect him, but no one had thought about what would help him in his present state of mind. No one, that is, except Ginny. Harry was truly amazed that a person he hardly knew could see what he needed.
"I–," Ginny began, but she could get no further as Harry reached out and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Ginny," he whispered into her hair, "Thanks."
The sound of people moving around in the kitchen below made them look at each other. "Mum'll have kittens when she finds out," said Ginny.
Before she went downstairs, Harry caught her arm and said, " You know I hardly knew you before and I never asked you anything about how you were after second year and I'm sorry. But if you need to talk to someone, I'll be there."
Ginny smiled, her first real smile in days, "Me too, Harry," she said, "I'll be there."
