Chapter 13. Purple Boa

            Ginny came out of the License Department smiling. She was holding her apparating license as she bumped into someone. "Oh, excuse me," she said without looking up.

            "Where's your girlfriend?" came a snide voice. Ginny looked up at Draco Malfoy.

            "What do you mean?" asked Ginny, getting angry.

            "Don't mind him, Gin. He's just a bad loser," said Hermione as she walked up.

            "Ah, the Mudblood and the Potty girl," said Draco. "All we need now is Dunder Boy and Weasel and life would be complete!" Draco's ever-constant companions, Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

            "Wouldn't want to disappoint you, Malfoy," said Ron as he and Harry walked around the corner. He looked directly at Crabbe and Goyle. He hadn't been afraid of them since his sixth year, when he became taller and more muscular than them. "Why don't you go pick on someone your own size? I hear the Muggle Circus is in town and they could use some extra elephants."

            Harry snorted. "Look, Draco, why don't you just run along because if you stay I can't promise I can stop them. You know, we aren't in school anymore. Too bad you quit before graduation."

            "Mother sent me to Durmstrang to finish, she said Hogwarts was substandard anyway," smiled Draco.

            "People always complain when the feel left behind, Harry," said Hermione coolly. "Come on, Ginny; let's go up to the Minister's office to let him know you are finished here." Hermione led Ginny away without looking back. Harry and Ron turned and followed them, leaving Malfoy and his cronies standing with their mouths open.

***

            By the time they reached Mr. Weasley's office, everyone was filled in on Ginny's tests and Harry's meeting. Hermione showed the pass to the guard, who promptly escorted them to the outer office. Inside they heard a heated discussion, but the voices were too muffled to be able to understand.

            Shortly, the door opened and several people walked out. Among those that Harry recognized were Tonks, Shacklebolt and Remus. They all nodded or smiled to Harry, but it was clear they were in a hurry. Mr. Weasley poked his head out and motioned for them to come in.

            "Congratulations, dear!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley when Ginny showed him her license. Mr. Weasley was about to say something when his assistant opened the door and handed him a letter. He read it and looked straight at Harry.

            "So, you met with your solicitor?" he asked Harry.

            "Yes, sir," he replied. "My parents left me a videotape that I have to watch with certain people."

            "Fascinating! Videotapes are played with Video Tape Decoders, aren't they?"

            I have one and I can bring in a TV as well," said Hermione.

            "Wait a tick! How did you know, Mr. Weasley?" asked Harry.

            Arthur looked at the letter in his hand. "I've just been invited."

***

            Dobby the house elf was polishing silverware at Hogwarts when a letter arrived. He never received any letters, so he wasn't sure what to do. He went to the headmaster's office to see if he could get some help. He knocked at the door.

            "Come in, Dobby," said Dumbledore.

            "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but Dobby received a letter…"

            "It appears many of us did," said Professor McGonagall as she entered. "Did you, Albus?" He nodded. Soon footsteps could be heard. Snape was standing there holding an envelope as well.

***

            Sirius had just finished posting the last letter. 'What a list that is!' he thought to himself. 'There were a few names I didn't recognize, some that were no longer with us, and some I would never expect Lily or James to want invited. I can't wait to see this!' Sirius chuckled as he went to change clothes to go to the Burrow.

            Just as he started up the stairs, he heard Remus come in. He turned around smiling and walked to the kitchen. He saw Remus take the bottle of Firewhiskey off of the counter and pour some in his mouth.

            "Moony, old friend, remember what that stuff does to you!" said Sirius.

            "Padfoot," he replied, "I remember. That's why I took a drink."

***

            The four young people had a good lunch at the little Italian restaurant just outside of Diagon Alley. After paying, they walked over to the Leaky Cauldron. Waving to Tom, the bartender, as they walked through, Ginny got out her wand and tapped the wall. Harry smiled, remembering when Hagrid had done the same thing. As the wall opened and they stepped through it, a bright flash of light caught Harry's eye. As one, they all had their wands out.

            "Whoa there, Harry, don't curse me!" said someone with a familiar voice.

            "Oh, go ahead! He deserves it, the git, for leaving the back door open when we were testing!" said someone else.

            "Fred! George! You almost got a Bat-Bogey!" laughed Ginny.

            Fred and George took them to their shop, which had been expanded. Harry took a business card and read it:

Weasley Wizard Wheezes

"More fun per knut than any other joke shop!"

Fred and George Weasley, Proprietors

Diagon Alley • Hogsmeade • ParisOslo

            "We've franchised, Harry. Krum and Fleur introduced us to some people near Durmstrang and Beauxbatons's. Quite decent people, actually. We are looking into expanding to the United States and Japan if possible," added George.

            They talked to Fred and George for a short while, then said their goodbyes and split up; the girls went to Madam Maulkin's and the boys to look at the new brooms. After they finished, they went home and spent the evening talking.

***

            Harry was standing in a darkened room. There was a wooden door in one wall. Voices on the other side of the door were talking to someone. Harry heard someone yell "Crucio" and heard a scream. He knew that scream!

           

            He ran to the door and tried to open it. He pulled out his wand. "Alohamora!" he shouted. It still wouldn't budge. Then he heard laughter…Voldemort's laughter. "Ginny! Ginny! I'm coming!"

            Harry woke in a cold sweat. He looked at the clock. It was only 3:00 AM. His forehead hurt where his scar was, so he knew falling back to sleep would be difficult. He looked over at Ron…how he envied him. Snoring like there was no tomorrow, Ron slept on. Harry quietly left the room and headed to Ginny's room. He opened the door slightly just to make sure she was safe. She was sleeping soundly.

            Harry closed the door and went downstairs. Mr. Weasley was sitting by the fire drinking a butterbeer. "Something wrong, Harry?" he asked.

            "Bad dream." Harry answered.

            "No one getting bitten by poisonous snakes, I hope."

            Harry laughed. "No, sir, not this time."

            Harry sat down and Mr. Weasley summoned another butterbeer. Tapping bottles together, they both took a drink. "So why are you up, Mr. Weasley?" asked Harry.

            "Harry, you can call me Arthur or Dad. And I am up because I feel like I have so much to do to keep the world safe. Guess you know the feeling, eh?" he replied. They both laughed.

            "Yes I do understand. I guess what we both need to remember is that we have others that we can depend on to help us." Harry said.

            "Well said, Mr. Potter," Mr. Weasley said. "I am glad that Ginny found someone as wise as you. I hope you know Molly and I are very happy for the two of you."

            "Thanks."

            "What are you two doing up?" said a voice from the doorway. There stood Ginny and her mother.

            "We are having a chat," replied Harry. "Care to join us?" He laughed as they both came over and sat down. They talked for awhile about Ron and Hermione…then Ginny and Harry…then the older couple said their goodnights and went to bed. Ginny and Harry sat on the sofa watching the fire die down just content with being together.

***

            Harry was hearing voices. He must be dreaming again. Ron and Hermione were there…so were George and Fred…there was a blinding light and Harry had to shut his eyes.

            "He's awake," said George. "Hey, Harry…Mum and Dad know about you and Ginny sleeping together?"

            Harry sat up, looking around. Ginny was asleep with her head on the arm of the couch and her legs across Harry's lap. Sometime during the night they had been covered. Harry nudged Ginny until she opened her eyes.

            "Harry? What..." started Ginny. Her eyes got wide as she noticed their audience. Just then Mrs. Weasley came into the room and ushered everyone out.

            "Best get dressed, dears. Breakfast is almost ready," she said.

            Harry and Ginny went upstairs to change. Harry came back down and went into the kitchen. George, Fred and Ron were snickering as Hermione tried to silence them.

            "So, um, Harry…how did you sleep?" asked Ron.

            "Now leave Harry alone, you three!" Mrs. Weasley cautioned them. "I came back down after our chat to check on you, Harry, and when I saw you and Ginny asleep, I decided to get a blanket for you. Now eat up, all of you, Sirius and Mr. Chang should be here soon."

***

            At 11:30 AM Harry followed Sirius into the kitchen. The table had been moved to the back yard and an assortment of chairs had been put in rows. Sirius had brought in a muggle TV and VCR and hooked up a generator to keep it running. Mr. Chang had put envelopes on all the seats. Harry, Sirius, Remus and Petunia were to be seated in the front row. Molly, Arthur, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were in the second row. The third row was Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and Dobby. The fourth row was Percy, George, Fred, Bill and Charlie Weasley. The fifth row was Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood's father, someone named Emma Strous, Mark Evans and his mother and Hagrid. As people started arriving, Wen-Lee showed them to their seats.

            At precisely noon, Mr. Chang started. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice. We are here today to hear the Last Will & Testament of James Harry Potter and his wife, Lily Evans Potter. They had chosen to record this visually by Muggle means, but the tape has been magically updated. Everything you will see and hear has also been put in writing, and that document has been certified by the Wizengamot. Please now pay attention to the black box before you. Harry, the tape please."

            Suddenly, the screen came on and Harry saw Mr. Chang. He looked a bit younger than he did today. He began speaking and everyone was quiet, concentrating.

            "Hello, my name is Wen-Lee Chang. I am speaking to you today as a representative of Mr. and Mrs. James Potter. It is their wish to record this as their Last Will and Testament. This has been approved by the Wizengamot and is legally binding.

            "If you are viewing this then you have been summoned upon their death OR upon their son, Harry James Potter, graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All of you gathered here have been chosen by the Potters as a beneficiary. The Potters now will make some remarks and read their bequests."  The camera filmed as Mr. Chang got up and then Harry's parents sat down. Harry was in his mother's arms.

            "Hello, Harry," said his mother. "If you are hearing this, then we are no longer there with you. Always remember that your mother and father love you dearly. I know that we are there with you in spirit.

            "Sirius, watch over Harry. I know that he is of age, but remember how I had to watch over you and James." She turned and smiled at James. "Remus, take care of Sirius. You know how he loves to get into trouble!" She laughed, a rich, warm laugh that made Harry's heart ache.

            "Remus, don't watch him too close," interrupted James. "Remember how grumpy he gets! Oh, and Remus, make sure that you never sit on your wand…last night Lily pushed me back onto mine…I know I have scorch marks and she burned  my favorite jeans, too."

            "It's your fault you know," laughed Lily. "Alastor Moody warned you!"

            "Harry, I hope you are okay. Listen to Sirius and Remus. And we have left you something that will be explained to you later that will help you in your life. Now, let's get on with it, as I am sure some of you are getting bored with our family reunion of sorts.

            "To Remus, who was our sainty…"

            "That's SANITY, dear…"

            "Right…our SANITY in a sea of chaos, we leave…Sirius!"

            "James!"

            "Okay…Sirius…AND 100,000 galleons! Good luck, he eats that much in a week!"

            "To Sirius," said Lily, looking at James, "one of our dearest friends, who already has more than he needs, we leave James' lucky knut and my purple feather boa, you know the one..."

            "Yeah, the one you wore at our first Anniversary party when you got drunk and ran naked…"

            "James? Do you want to tell them about YOU and the…"

            "Mr. Potter?" said Wen-Lee off-camera.

            "Right…to Wen-Lee, we grant you a lifetime contract extension. Please guide Harry well," added James.

            "To Molly and Arthur Weasley," said Lily, "while I know we only met briefly through common connections at the Ministry and Hogwarts, this tape was magically prepared to be updated after our death until Harry graduated. So, because you treated our son so lovingly and treated him like family, we give you 100,000 galleons. Have fun!"

            "To the other members of the Weasley Clan, including Percy, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny, we give you 5,000 galleons each for being the siblings Harry never had." James said.

            "To Dobby, the house-elf that helped save Harry from certain death, we would like to hire you to become Harry's Personal Elf, and we will gladly provide you with wages of 12 galleons each month and a half-day off every Sunday. Please talk to Mr. Chang after this tape is over." Lily smiled.

            "To Peter, who we now know betrayed us and is dead…we leave exactly what you gave us…nothing," snarled James.

            "To Neville Longbottom and his parents, we leave 10,000 galleons for their friendship and his," said Lily.

            'To Jedediah Lovegood, editor of the Quibbler and longtime billiards partner, I leave my voluminous research on crumple horned snorkacks, including pictures. Also, we grant him the right to tell about James and Lily Potter." James laughed. "Oh, and my lucky cue stick,"

            "To my sister Petunia, I give you my thanks for taking care of Harry and 20,000 pounds. I also leave you Mother's China which she had given to me," said Lily. "I hope that you learn to treat others better in the future, Tuni."

            "To Jody Evans and her son Mark, my favorite cousin-in-law, we leave 5,000 galleons and a promise to never perform the kaleidoscope charm on her knickers again," said James, rolling his eyes.

            "To Emma Strous, one of my dearest friends from my days at Hogwarts, I leave Sirius…wait…no, I like HER! We leave you 5,000 galleons," laughed Lily.

            "To Hagrid, a good friend and drinking partner, we leave our Wizarding Game Preserve in Africa and 5,000 galleons," said James.

            "To Professor Flitwick, my FAVORITE professor at Hogwarts, we leave an annual endowment of 1,000 galleons for a Charms Scholarship to be administered by Mr. Chang and awarded to a student designated by the Professor," said Lily.

            "To Snivellus…"

            "JAMES!"

            "Sorry…SEVERUS…Snape, we leave a bottle of shampoo for his greasy hair, a book entitled 'Dress for success by using Colors' and…"

            "JAMES HARRY POTTER!"

           

            "Okay! We leave the same thing as Flitwick but for Potions."

            "See what I had to deal with, Harry?" laughed Lily, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Severus…I know how much you despised him, but it was his idea.

            "To Hermione Granger, for being faithful to Harry and being a friend no matter what, we leave 5,000 galleons."

            "To Albus Dumbledore, for being the best Grandfather-in-law in the world, we leave one million galleons," said James.

            "To Minerva McGonagall, my dear, sweet Grandmother, I leave my wand and the deed to our vacation home in Majorca," smiled Lily.

            "To Harry, our son, we leave the balance of our estate, which includes:

· Approximately 750 million galleons in cash;

· Our home near Hogwarts;

· The cottage in Godric's Hollow;

· My wand;

· 10% ownership in the Quibbler, 5% ownership in the Daily Prophet, 5% ownership in Madam Maulkin's, Inc., 5% ownership in Ollivander Wands, Ltd. And 40% ownership in Eeylops Owl Emporium;

· And all our other possessions.

We also leave to Harry several more tapes that will explain the family histories of both Lily's family and the Potters. And we leave all of my cars to Harry."

            "Thank you all for coming. Mr. Chang will contact you about delivery of your bequests as soon as possible. Thank you all for being a part of our lives and thank you for remembering us. Mr. Chang has arranged for a reception following this and we would like you to please get reacquainted and introduce yourselves to Harry. Remember, Harry, we love you!" Lily said as she and James waved. Then the screen went blank.

            "Please obey their wishes and join us outside for some refreshments. Harry, we need to discuss something," added Wen-Lee. Harry just sat their in shock as everyone else left the room.

            Wen-Lee sat down next to Harry. "Well, Mr. Potter. You have heard the will of your parents. They gave that tape to me two days before they died. They have left you quite a sizable estate, how would you like to proceed?"

            Harry looked up at Wen-Lee. He noted the sincerity and concern in the man's eyes, but was overwhelmed by all the revelations that had happened. He was wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. All his friends had been taken care of. He had found out his great-grandparents were alive; somehow this shocked him less than expected. He had always felt that Dumbledore and McGonagall had taken a special interest in him. Now at least he could speak to them as a grandchild instead of a student. "Where are my grandparents?"

            "Just outside waiting to talk to you. Would you like for me to send them in?"

            "Yes, thank you," replied Harry.

            Harry stood and looked out the window at the others as they mourned. Standing in small groups, occasionally he would hear sobs, but generally it was laughter at the memory of some prank or story. That would have pleased his parents. He turned around and saw two of the people he loved and respected the most standing there. "So why couldn't you tell me?"

            "Harry," said Minerva, "we promised your parents. They didn't want anyone to think that you were receiving special treatment at Hogwarts. It has been almost impossible not to reach out and hold you when you were sad. Both Albus and I love you very much. And we are very proud of you."

            "How many people knew?" asked Harry.

            "Well, Harry, not many," replied Albus. "Fudge knew; that's why he was so hard on you. Mr. Chang and Sirius knew, and Remus, but they had been sworn to secrecy as well. But as Minerva said, it was important that it not be well-known. But now, please sit down and I will tell you everything."