On Your Mark
By Arlo
Chapter 4- Good Will
Several days after the gathering at the Evans house, Harry could hardly believe he had ever seen Aunt Petunia's sentimental side. She was even fussier and more dour than usual after a loud discussion with her husband.
"We can't let those people find out about the boy, Petunia! They've already asked too many questions! We certainly don't want the neighbors to know about that freak school and friends of his!" Vernon wasn't bothering to keep the volume or tone of his voice in check; in fact, Harry could practically feel his anger through the walls.
"Shh, Vernon, keep it down! I just thought it might be nice to get to know them."
A loud bang made both Harry and the pictures in the hallway jump. His uncle's hand had obviously made contact with the wall. Harry just hoped Petunia wasn't between them. "Nice, NICE?" he sputtered. "Discovering freaks in the family would be nice? Think about it, he's in law and she's in social work, the odds are that the boy will slip and tell them about the cupboard, at the least".
"But, Vernon" she said very quietly, "We could keep it secret, like we always have."
"Petunia, I forbid you to get too close to these people! And that's final!" Vernon shouted, slamming the door. A crash followed his uncle's tirade and Harry knew one of the framed photos of Dudley in the hall had fallen victim.
Harry was about to go check on his aunt when he heard her sniffling and shuffling past his door. 'Maybe I should stay here for a while' he thought, self-preservation taking over. He returned to perusing the contents of the envelope his aunt had given him. He had been amazed to discover all his school records, not only from primary school, but from Hogwarts as well. He hadn't even known they sent out reports! That explained how Aunt Petunia had known of his 'adventures'. He had gotten a good laugh at the statement his primary school teacher wrote when her wig turned blue. Another from the principal chastising him for 'climbing' to the roof of the school was also quite funny, in retrospect. There were photos of him from school and a few others.. His Birth Certificate showed that, not only was he born on July 31, his birth was recorded at 11:56 P.M. Certainly as the seventh month died, fulfilling that dreaded prophecy. Missing; however was the now infamous letter from Dumbledore that was left with him on the doorstep of the Dursleys'.
It was interesting to discover that his primary school marks were fairly good, particularly in reading and science. He was sure they were better than Dudley's, which must have made his aunt and uncle a bit vexed. He was now reading the letters from Hogwarts that expounded on his activities at the wizarding school. His first year was summed up by a letter from Headmaster Dumbledore stating that his bravery had won the house cup. His second contained letters from Professor Magonagall describing the Ford Anglia incident and from Dumbledore praising his heroics in saving the life of a fellow student. Correspondence from the beginning of his third year explained the Dementors and why the Azkaban guards were stationed at Hogwarts. There were five letters from his fourth year, one congratulating Petunia for her nephew having been named a Triwizard Champion, and three relating each task. The final note from Harry's fourth year expressed remorse over the outcome of the event and petitioned Mrs. Dursley to be considerate of her nephew's state of mind after witnessing the death of a friend. The last note, apparently written just a few weeks ago, told of the death of Harry's Godfather and reminded the Dursleys the reason their nephew lived with them. Harry was totally amazed that his aunt was aware of everything that had happened to him. She had never mentioned a thing to him and he had the feeling that she was the only Dursley that knew anything about any of this. He was becoming more and more mystified at his aunt's behavior. His stomach growled and he decided to head downstairs for dinner. He volunteered to help clean up, while Dudley and his father went to the video store to get a movie for the evening.
"Er, Aunt Petunia, is everything all right?"
"Fine."
"I think it is really nice to have more relatives. I'd like to keep seeing them," Harry said delicately.
"You've never abided by our wishes before. I shouldn't be surprised," she replied with a scowl.
"Whose wishes? You know I heard your whole fight! It's Vernon's wishes and what you or I want doesn't matter one Knut!"
"One what?" Petunia screamed. "See, you can't keep your abnormality hidden can you? I guess Vernon was right after all!"
"Knut, it's a form of money, but you already know that, or it wouldn't have bothered you so much! Nobody would have thought twice about a word like that!" Harry stared at his aunt, his green eyes boring into her like one of Vernon's drills. He could feel frustration, anger, helplessness, and they weren't his feelings either. He just knew, somehow, that they were his aunt's. It didn't matter to him at this point, however. "Does Uncle Vernon know you receive letters from my school?" he asked resentfully.
"Of course not! Those dratted owls at least have the sense to wait until he leaves for work!" She turned away from him and threw down her towel. "Finish cleaning up. I'll be upstairs," she snapped. Turning from the door, she looked back at him, "Just watch what you tell them. And, stay away from Vernon," she added as she left the kitchen.
Harry did just that. He quickly slipped out the back door while Vernon and Dudley came through the front. He took his evening stroll around Little Whinging, his mind buzzing. Noticing the full moon rising in the sky, his jumbled thoughts turned to his former professor, Remus Lupin.
Lupin was Sirius' best friend and had been at the ministry when he died, or at least everyone said he had died. Harry was still a little confused as to what exactly had happened. Sirius had fallen backward through this old veil thing after having been stunned by his Death Eater cousin. Lupin had held Harry back from following him through, and Harry still occasionally wished he hadn't. He was feeling better as time went on, but still felt terribly guilty about his godfather's death. If it hadn't been for him, Sirius wouldn't have even been there.
It was Lupin's first full moon since; and Harry hoped he would be all right. Remus was a werewolf and his best friends had become animagi (wizards who could turn into animals) to help him. Sirius' dog form, Padfoot, had made a big difference for the werewolf merely by his presence. Harry made a mental note to write to his favorite ex-professor before he went to sleep tonight.
"A penny for your thoughts, young man"
Harry jumped as the voice behind him had caught him by surprise. He immediately flung his hand into his shirt and spun around. He almost had his wand out, when he saw that it was Jake Evans standing in front of him. "Oh, er, hi," Harry said nervously while catching his breath. "Hi, Jake. I didn't see you there."
'That's because I was behind this bush here tying my shoe. I didn't mean to startle you, Harry I'm very sorry."
"No, its ok. I'm just a little jumpy tonight, is all."
"More than a little, it seems." Jake smiled at him. "Do you want to talk about anything?"
"No," Harry responded, perhaps a little too quickly. "Er, no thanks Jake. I really need to be getting back."
"Why don't you jog with me and we'll drop by there?" Jake suggested.
Harry wasn't sure he should take him up on the offer. If Uncle Vernon saw him with the man, he would be angry. He couldn't think of a good reason to say no, however, and they set off. Fortunately, Harry was able to say goodbye at the corner of Privet Drive and head the rest of the way by himself. Jake did give him a parting piece of advice, though. "It's always good to talk if there are things on your mind. Sometimes all you need is a sympathetic ear." He paused, taking in the baggy hand-me-down clothes the boy was again wearing, then added, "Mark thinks very highly of you, Harry. He can't wait to introduce you to all his cousins. We really appreciate the way you helped him out the other day. Your cousin has always been a bit mean to him." He paused again trying to catch Harry's eye. "I just want you to know you are welcome to come by any time if you need anything. Okay?"
"Yeah, thanks. That's very nice of you." He could tell the man wasn't just being polite. "I really appreciate your concern," he replied sincerely.
Harry quietly walked in the front door and up the stairs. The TV was blaring in the living room, an action film by the sound of it. The smell of popcorn was further evidence that the Dursley men were still up. Harry briefly thought about joining them just for amusement's sake, but shook his head and headed to his room. An official looking owl hooted a greeting as he opened his door. Curiously, he took the parchment from its leg and it flew back out the open window.
Dear Mr. Potter,
An investigation into the events of 2 August last, has revealed that Dementors were indeed present near your residence. It is our understanding there may have been complicity by Ministry officials in this matter. Appropriate action has been taken to ensure there are no further incidents of this nature, and those responsible have been disciplined accordingly.
The Ministry regrets any undue duress its procedures may have caused and assures you that no record of any infractions of Ministry policy or laws will be kept against you in this regard. Furthermore, to make amends, we would like to arrange an official tour of the Ministry of Magic and a luncheon at the Leaky Cauldron in your honor, in the near future.
Please contact my Assistant, Percy Weasley, with a date and time convenient for you.
It was most unfortunate to discover that a trusted employee mislead and misinformed the Ministry. We hope you will accept our offer of good will and look forward to meeting you here in the near future.
With Best Regards,
Cornelius O. Fudge
Minister of Magic
Harry snorted and tossed the letter aside. 'Right, they wanted to extend their good will!' At least he had something to write to Remus about! His correspondence took a long time, especially since he had to be careful of what he said in a letter. Hedwig still hadn't returned with Hermione's response to his last letter. He could just picture his friend researching all her books and writing a three foot long essay on each question he had asked. His musings were interrupted by 'Pig', Ron's owl who brought a letter from the Weasleys, his favorite wizard family. He gave the tiny owl some of the letters he had just written and sent him back to the Burrow.
The note was actually from Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic. He had obviously heard of Fudge's offer and wanted to express his opinion on the matter. " This is Fudge the Politician, Harry. Be very careful, do not respond to this until we have had time to talk it out. The final decision should be Dumbledore's." Harry winced. He hadn't planned on answering until he discussed it with Dumbledore and Lupin, anyway. He didn't have a good feeling about the whole thing himself, but he felt the final decision should be his, and his alone.
Well past one A.M. he at last settled down with the bible Gloria had surreptitiously handed him as he left the other day. He found that reading its words of love and encouragement seemed to help keep his nightmares at bay.
