Disclaimer: If you think that I'm JK Rowling or for some strange reason I own Harry Potter, why would I be spending my time writing fanfiction for no money when I could be writing the sixth book so that I'll be able to make more money sooner after the fifth book is published????
Little Boxes
Chapter Two:
"To understand what happened to my parents, first you have to understand this: There are good wizards and there are bad wizards and just like in the Muggle world, there are fanatics who are power-hungry. Some wizards believe that if you're Muggle-born or if you have Muggles in your family, your blood isn't as pure, and many opinionated 'purebloods' call Muggle-borns a nasty name: Mudblood, like they have dirty blood. Muggle-borns and their families are persecuted by these wizards.
"The wizard that killed my parents, Voldemort, is one of the fanatics. The wizarding world was at war with Voldemort and his supporters. My parents supported Dumbledore, who was on the opposite side. Dumbledore still won't tell my why Voldemort was after them, but my parents knew it and they decided to go into hiding, but one of their best friends betrayed them and framed my godfather.
"When Voldemort tried to kill me, the curse rebounded and hit him,
because of the magical protection given to me by my mother when she died for me, leaving me with this scar and leaving him as little more than a ghost. He's been trying ever since to return and he managed to do it a little over a week ago. He used my blood to bring himself back. I should have stopped him. I did it before. And Cedric- my fault he's dead."
Dudley realized that Harry was no longer talking to him. "Harry?" he
ventured uncertainly.
Harry started. He had forgotten who he was talking to. "Yeah?"
"What do you mean, you've done it before?"
"In my first year, Voldemort was attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone, which grants the holder immortality and endless wealth...With my friends' help, we managed to stop him. My second year, his sixteen-year-old memory possessed my best friend's little sister via her diary, and again, with my friends' help, I stopped him. But last year...he won...and a student died."
A heavy silence settled over the cousins.
"So, what happened third year?" Dudley said hoping to lighten the mood.
"My godfather broke out of wizard prison, I thought he, a notorious murderer, was after me, my dad's best friend taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, we found out my godfather was innocent, my best friend's rat turned out to be my parents betrayer, and my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher quit because Snape told the Slytherins he was a werewolf."
"Oh..." Dudley responded. Changing the subject, he asked, "Will you tell me about your friends?"
Dubiously, Harry hesitated. But when he recalled what he felt like when he had no friends, wouldn't he have wanted someone to tell him about theirs?
"Alright. Well, there's Ron Weasley. You met he and his brothers last
summer."
"They inflated my tongue." Dudley said.
"Er...Yeah...they like to prank people."
"That's okay, the sweets tasted good, anyway."
"They usually do...I mean the Canary Creams are delicious, but they turn you into a bird..."
"Really?" Dudley's eyes grew round in amazement.
"Yeah. They've decided to open a joke shop once they graduate, called Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. Anyway, Ron's got five older brothers and a younger sister. There's Bill, he works as a curse breaker for Gringotts, that's our bank. And then Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania-"
"You mean dragons are real?" Dudley gasped.
"Oh, sure. There's all kinds, too. Charlie once helped my friends and I smuggle a baby Norwegian Ridgeback out of the castle in our first year."
"Cool."
But thinking about dragons made Harry think of the First Task and thinking about the Tournament made him think about Cedric and thinking about Cedric-. Forcefully dragging his thoughts from this track, he continued talking.
"Then comes Percy. He works for the Ministry of Magic. That's sort of the English Wizarding Government. After Percy is Fred and George. I've already told you about them. Then Ron, he's excellent at chess… In our first year, he managed to get by McGonagall's chess set."
Dudley really only understood half of what Harry was saying, but it was fascinating to hear about a real Wizarding family.
"His sister Ginny is a year younger than we are. I don't know her all that well."
*And who's fault is that?* his conscience asked him nastily. Pushing that thought out of his head, he continued on.
"My other best friend, Hermione Granger, is Muggle-born. Her parents are both dentists. I've only met them once or twice. Anyway, Hermione is basically a walking, talking textbook. She became our friend first year after we knocked out a mountain troll in the girl's loo. Long story. What?" Dudley had a strange look on his face.
"One of your best friends is a girl? Is she your girlfriend?"
"Not you too!" Harry moaned. "No, she's not. We're just friends. Besides, I reckon Ron fancies her…"
"Does she fancy him, too?"
"It's hard to tell, really. But I think so." Harry recalled the Yule Ball from the previous Christmas and the fight that had followed.
"So, do you have a girlfriend?" Dudley asked.
"No. Though I did bring Parvati Patil to the Yule Ball, but I wasn't exactly the best partner and it was only because I had to have one that I asked her in the first place."
"Isn't there anyone you like? Like that, I mean?"
Fleetingly, Harry thought of Cho, but he had realized that it was only a stupid crush, much like the one Ginny had on him in her first year, so he pushed that thought away. "No."
"What about your friend's sister, Ginny, I think her name was?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to go out with a girl that has six older brothers?"
"Fine don't answer my question. Is she not attractive looking, then?"
Startled, Harry answered, "No, she's very pretty." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his face heat up.
"You do like her!" Dudley crowed.
"No I don't!" Harry replied, desperately trying to dig himself out of the predicament his words had put him in.
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not blushing!"
"Sure Harry. I believe you. I wonder what would happen if your friend Ron found out you have a thing for his sister." Dudley mused.
"I DON'T HAVE A THING FOR GINNY WEASLEY!"
"Alright Harry, calm down. I was just joking." Dudley looked vaguely frightened. It wasn't like Harry to explode.
Calming himself, Harry replied, "Sorry about that. I'm a little on edge."
"No kidding. Hey, are you any good at algebra?"
"Not really. I bet you anything Hermione is, though. Why?"
"I have a few questions about my summer homework, is all. No need to bother your friend."
"No, here, I was meaning to write her a letter anyway." At Dudley's hesitant look, Harry insisted, "Really, Hermione loves helping people with school and I'm pretty sure that Arithmancy is a lot like Algebra. Come on, I'll show you how to use a quill."
The two boys wrote an extensive letter to Hermione explaining everything and at the end, Dudley added a few specific questions regarding his algebra work.
****
Hermione Granger had only been home for a short time when she began to wish she was back in the Wizarding world, despite the fact that they were in the midst of a war with someone most denied the existence of. Over her years at Hogwarts, she had been close to death more times than most would expect and her parents knew little about it.
She had told them sparse details of the adventures she, Ron, and Harry had shared. But now, she wasn't sure what she should do. Did she tell them about the war and risk being pulled out of school? Or did she keep it secret, knowing full well that one day she might not come home and her parents would never know the real reason why?
*Think of what the others would say! The know-it-all Hermione Granger doesn't know the answer to something!* When she recalled something Dumbledore had said, something about choosing to do what was right instead of what was easy, she decided to take the risk and inform her parents of what was happening.
They took the news surprisingly well. They were upset that she hadn't felt she could confide in them sooner. Her father only suggested she leave Hogwarts once and at her vehement protestations, he immediately withdrew his request. Her mother was surprisingly understanding.
"I just wish you'd come to us sooner, luv. I'm not promising we won't worry about you or suggesting you should betray your friends, because I would never do that, never. And I can't say that I understand all that you've told us, but I can promise that we'll try to understand and that we support any decisions you may make. Personally, I think that we should get in touch with your friends' families. Maybe they can help us to help you and help us to understand. Especially Harry's family, they must know what it's like, to be caught between worlds."
"I wouldn't bet on it, mum. The Dursleys hate magic. And they're not too fond of Harry, either."
****
After she had told her parents, Hermione felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.
As she was sitting in her room, Hedwig arrived with a letter from Harry.
"That's odd. Usually he waits till I write him to send a letter…What if something's wrong?" Hurriedly she removed the parchment from Hedwig's leg and quickly unrolled it.
****To Be Continued****
