Title: Revelations and Their Consequences
Summary: Harry faces choices he must make and some made already. Can the friendship of a small boy show him what life can offer and how precious it is?
A/N Okay so he is not a Harold, Sorry just a mistake. I know I send this to more people than are reviewing PLZ I can't know that you read if you don't review!
When Harry went to the Great Hall the next morning he was late and he slid into a seat next to Ron and Hermione.
"Have you seen Sander?" he asked them. They shook their heads and he glanced at the Ravenclaw table. There was no sign of the boy there. "Wonder where he is."
"Dunno." Ron said. "Maybe he slept in." Harry shook his head.
"Not from what he told me last night. I hope he's not lost."
"He'll find his way. We did." Hermione consoled Harry. He nodded,
"You're probably right." Ginny came and they talked for a minute but then Harry looked at his watch. It was nearly eight and the boy still hadn't been seen. "I'm going to find him. I'll use the Marauder's map. He wanted to know how I knew where the Ravenclaw common room anyway." They nodded and Ginny stood up.
"I'll come with you." They walked out of the Great Hall and Ginny breathed a sigh of relief Harry eyed her. "Didn't you see how they were looking at each other? It was making out time." She pretended to gag and Harry looked at her almost walking into a statue. "Oh that's right you weren't there! Well when Ron found Hermione didn't go to Krum's he realized he liked her she admitted she liked him and…" she made a kissy-face causing Harry to laugh.
When they got to the Common room Harry absentmindedly said, "Accio Marauder's map." It came to him and he turned it on
"You're really getting good at summoning charms."
"One word: dragon." Harry said staring at the map. "Eureka!" he pointed to a statue on the fourth floor. Ginny looked at her watch.
"Okay let's go!" they raced off Harry's arm bouncing in the sling. The Fat Lady was closed hard and she was yelling at them as they ran off. When they found Sander he was crying. Harry sat next to him behind the statue and put a hand on his shoulder.
"What's wrong kid?" Sander shook his head and Ginny spoke.
"I've got to go. Sander I hope you're okay but I've got Vector and if I'm late I'm dead."
"Bye Gin." Harry said gazing at her retreating figure.
"Are you two a couple?" Harry looked at Sander. His face was tear-stained and his nose was running.
"What the bloody hell, sorry, gave you that idea?" Sander gave a shaky grin.
"You, s'okay, like her." Harry blushed.
"Well… Maybe but what's important is what's wrong with you?" Sander ducked his head down again.
"C'mon I'm your friend!"
"I had a nightmare. I dreamed I was home again." Harry was quite confused.
"What's wrong with that?" Sander looked at him with big eyes.
"I-My- well you see-"Harry put an arm around him.
"You can tell me. I'm your friend and I won't tell anyone."
"You swear?" Harry nodded. "Okay." Sander took a breath. "My stepdad, he doesn't like me much and he drinks so he doesn't know what he's doing but he" his voice went down to no more than a whisper. "He hits me." He started to cry again. He looked very small to Harry even for a first year.
"Oh Sander." The bell rang but both boys ignored it. "Sander how long have you been eleven?"
"I'm not." He sniffled.
"You're not?"
"No. I skipped a grade and it's by grade not age. I turned ten a month ago." He was just a child. Harry dug his handkerchief out of a pocket and helped the boy clean his face.
"Are you hungry?" Sander nodded. "Well I know where we can get free food. Do you know what house elves are?" he wasn't sure of the financial status of Sander's family and wasn't surprised when he shook his head. So on the way to the kitchens Harry explained about house elves. They got to the portrait and Harry tickled the pear and opened the door. No sooner had he that Dobby nearly bowled him over causing him to gasp with the pain that still remainder
"Hey Dobby!" he said jovially when he regained his breathe.
"Harry Potter sir! How glad Dobby was to hear Harry Potter has returned sir!" Sander was wide eyed staring at Dobby. Harry had to admit that Dobby was a sight. He still had his tea cozy and he had acquired a large pair of boots that went up to his hips.
"Good to see you too Dobby. This is Sander McKinnon. He missed breakfast and I thought this was the place to take him" He pushed Sander forward gently.
"Hi er Dobby I'm Sander." Dobby shook his hand and smiled.
"Sander McKinnon sir! Dobby is glad to meet you sir!"
"Pleased to meet you too." Harry grinned then with a sudden thought leaned down to Dobby.
"Dobby how's Winky?" Dobby shook his head,
"These are sad days Harry Potter sir. After what happened to Barty Crouch sir Winky was very distraught sir. And well as you know sir Winky is a very traditional elf. When a house elf's family is gone sir the house elf is required to go too, sir. Last year I tried to keep her from it sir. But this summer she ran away from Dobby and then she did it sir." Harry felt all color race from his face.
"You mean…" Dobby nodded gravely.
"Dobby is afraid so sir." Sander looked up from where some house elves had brought him food.
"What? What happened Harry?" Harry sat next to the boy. He didn't want to tell him but he also wanted to be truthful.
"Sander I told you house elves are very traditional and loyal to their masters. Well Winky was Debby's friend and my friend too. She was very loyal to her master even though he gave her clothes and she came here. A couple of years ago her original master was killed and his son driven insane. Dobby just told me it was house elf tradition that when their masters were gone house elves were required to…" Sander looked at him innocently.
"To what Harry?" Harry sighed. He could say go into exile. He could gloss it over but he remembered how much he loathed when adults didn't tell him the truth.
"To kill themselves." The young boys face went pale. Then he gazed at Harry.
"Thank you for telling me."
"You're welcome." Somewhere in the castle another bell rang. Harry stood and pulled Sander to his feet. "We have to go Dobby but I'll be back. I still owe you some socks for that tip last year."
"Goodbye sirs!" Dobby called. Harry and Sander ran off.
"What class did you miss?"
"Charms."
"What's your next one?"
"Um… Transfiguration I think."
"How do you feel?" Harry looked into the boy's face to tell if he was being truthful.
"Fine. I like Transfiguration." Harry shook his head.
"Well then that is where you and I differ. Next time tell Flitwick you were ill."
"That's lying!" Harry sighed. This kid would be hard to bring in with him and Ron but he admired his honesty.
"Sander there are some times where lying is right, and that's not really lying. In a way you were ill." The boy nodded and Harry walked him to Professor McGonagall's room before searching out Ron and Hermione.
"There you are! Blimey you're gutsy."
"Why?" Harry smiled; all he did was take a boy to the kitchen.
"Cause you missed Potions." Harry nearly fainted.
"Aw shit." Ron and Hermione gaped at him. "What?" Ron regained composure first.
"I don't think I've ever heard you swear before. Our little Harry's all grown up and swearing!" Harry shook his head.
"What's next?" Hermione spoke here voice revealing her disapproval of what he said.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Who's the teacher?" both of his friends became mute. "Guys what is going on?" they shared a look that he didn't like.
"We're not supposed to tell you." Hermione volunteered. "She said you wouldn't like it." Harry looked at both of them disgustedly.
"And since when have we ever listened to a professor?" they sat in seats in the front of the class and were slightly early. The teacher was digging through a box near the foot of her desk but she popped up as soon as they entered. Harry gasped then scowled. "You."
"Me Potter." Arabella Figg crossed over to his desk.
"I didn't think Professor Dumbledore would let a makeshift apothecary teach anything but potions. Oh wait I forgot you're not good at that anyway! My mistake I thought since you were allowed to kidnap someone against their will with a heavy sleeping draft you should be good at it." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Ron and Hermione stared. He'd never even been this mean to Snape. She had called them to her desk the week before and told them what happened. Apparently he held more of a grudge when he was made ill. She sighed.
"Well you're glad to be here right? So you can drop it."
"I did drop it. I dropped it after every meal that day." Ron sniggered and whispered to Hermione,
"I can vouch for that." Hermione elbowed him.
"You can stop right there." Professor Figg said.
"Or what'll you do?" Harry sneered.
"Or I'll tell everyone about the time you fell asleep at my house and sleepwalked into my closet and nearly thought it was a bathroom." Harry blushed.
"I was five." He soon recovered from that shock to add "That was probably a sleeping potion too." She nodded.
"It was. It's called 'Oreos'." Hermione laughed and Harry scowled. "Now Harry didn't I tell you when you scowled at your Uncle your face would stay that way?"
"So whom did you glare at?" Seamus and Dean who had come in joined Ron and Hermione in laughter.
"Your cousin when he ran me over." Harry was lost for a comeback after that as he --though he'd never admit it-- heartily agreed. "Now class that Harry is lost for words I will take this moment to begin the lesson. I told you last week what we would do in here but as some of you were a bit out of it (quite literally) that day I will go over it quickly again. You have covered creatures, curses, and idiotic teachers," most of the class laughed but Harry refused to let himself. "What you have not covered is some of the most important of all, strategy.
"With Voldemort coming to power there will undoubtedly be a war. I am sure many of you have been under the impression that it will be a few curses thrown around and it'll all be over. Sorry to burst your bubble kids but that ain't it." Another burst of laughter.
"No a Wizarding war is strategy and planning. It's knowing what move the enemy will make next and doing something to stop it. It's knowing what their weaknesses are and knowing the location of the battle inside out." She waited for this to sink in. Neville was looking quite pale and even Harry who was doing his best to act as if he didn't hear was shocked.
"So with that… Today we're going to look at a famous battle."
"Great." Harry muttered. "A new History of Magic! Care to bring Binns in here too?" she rustled in the box some more while talking to him.
"No Potter I feel you will find this more interesting. Of course you're going to pretend it's not now that I said that but that's your loss." He felt his ears burn. She set up something that looked a bit like a muggle projector. She set it up across from the board and pulled down a screen. She motioned for Dean to turn off the lights.
A sentence flashed on the screen:
Defeat of Grindewald
1945
Then a picture came up. Several of wizards and witches sat around a round table. Dumbledore was at the head.
"That is the heads of the wizard armies. Alastor Moody. Albus Dumbledore, Sarah Ackerly, Nicholas Flamel. Renaldo Weasley, Maryann Bones, Eric Potter, and Jameson McKinnon." Was he any relation to Sander? Harry wondered. He also recognized the names of his and Ron's ancestors and a feeling of pride swept through him.
The group seemed to be arguing over a huge model the image zoomed in on a huge model that Harry recognized as an older Hogsmeade. Professor Figg continued her commentary and Harry found himself listening intently though he tried to keep his face blank.
"They constantly argued about what to do with Grindlewald. He wasn't just targeting wizards. I'm sure Binns has talked to you but undoubtedly most of you were asleep. Grindlewald was known to the Muggles as a man named Adolf Hitler." Harry was sure he wasn't the only one who was shocked.
"He constructed huge death camps. With the muggles he targeted Jewish peoples one of their minorities. With the wizards it was muggle borns and squibs, anyone who was different.
"Ackerly and Bones wanted to let the muggles handle it. Flamel, Moody, and Dumbledore wanted to incite peace talks. The remaining three were ready to plan an attack. They began with peace talks but they failed miserably. There was no intention of leaving it to the muggles so they began to plan an attack." The picture changed to a map of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade there were arrows and squiggles all over it. "They waited for Grindlewald to attack Hogwarts as they knew he would. Then they surprised him with their readiness.
"They had one more thing up their sleeves however. Something no one but Potter, Weasley, and McKinnon knew about. The Heir spell, only people of decent from the Hogwarts founders could perform it. The only problem with that was they were missing the heir of Slytherin. They were required to reveal the problem to Dumbledore who brought them a recently graduated Hogwarts student Tom Riddle." A picture of Riddle flashed sending shivers down Harry's spine.
"So they let the young man in on the plan. What they didn't know was that he had been in contact with Grindlewald and let him in on the spell. They were all killed and their families sent into hiding.
"Later Dumbledore found that Grindlewald was, in fact a secret werewolf. No one had known this. He hadn't come to Hogwarts, but Durmstrang, and they were all on his side, we don't know how Dumbledore found this out but he arranged for Grindlewald to be shot with a silver bullet." As she spoke images of this flashed across the screen and the class sat motionless. Harry lost his battle to look uninterested and watched with rapture as the dark wizard was killed.
The bell rang startling them all out of their reverie. Arabella turned off the projector,
"Homework! Two rolls on Grindlewald!"
Things were gathered and people exclaimed about the lesson only Ron, Hermione, and Harry were left.
"Yes?" the professor asked.
"Er that Eric Weasley…" Ron began. "There are only four houses and we all know Harry's family is the heir of Gryffindor." Who all? Harry was shocked.
"Eric Weasley was the heir of Hufflepuff. I know all your family was in Gryffindor. Aren't the Patil twins in separate houses? Your ancestry isn't pure anymore but whose is?" Ron nodded seemingly satisfied. Harry motioned for him and Hermione to go on.
"Yes Potter?" he stared at his feet. "Going to apologize?"
"No." he said bluntly. "I just want to say thank you."
"No apologies eh? Well you're welcome."
"You said I owe you a thank you for bringing me here and I didn't. I'm not apologizing until you do for drugging me."
"Point taken. Your Aunt left this for you." She handed him a letter.
"Thanks. I gotta go before I end up flat on the floor here." He left the classroom in a huff.
"Boy you maybe the chosen heir but you've got a lot to learn."