On Your Mark
By Arlo
Chapter 8- New Wizard on the Block
Harry waited until Uncle Vernon had left for work in the morning before he went downstairs for breakfast. There was no use trying the man's patience (not that he had any). Even though someone had slipped some sandwiches through the cat flap in the door to his room last night, Harry was still famished. It seemed that lately he was always hungry, that was probably a good sign, though. He smiled as he thought about competing with Ron for the food at the Gryffindor table, now there was a kid who could eat! Ron probably ate even more than Dudley but it didn't show on him at all. Harry shook himself, he missed his friends. He missed the Weasley family. The last letter he had received from Ron had been very distressing. Apparently his brother, Percy, who had sided with Fudge and the Ministry regarding Voldemort's return, had not been to work in almost two weeks. Initially his disappearance had been thought to be the result of the confusion at the Ministry and the stress of having gone against his family. But Percy had not been heard from by any of his family or friends or even co-workers. Aurors checking his flat found nothing unusual-and no sign that Percy had been there in a while. The family was extremely concerned, and Remus had told Harry that things didn't look good. Voldemort was famous for causing mysterious disappearances and Percy's had all the earmarks of the Death Eaters. Harry knew there was nothing he could do to help, except offer his support. He had his own theories as to what may have happened, most involving the Weasley's ex-pet rat, Wormtail, the Death Eater who had betrayed Harry's parents and Sirius, but he certainly wasn't going to share them with Ron right now!
The kitchen was empty when Harry entered. He made himself some bacon and eggs and sat down. Dudley took that precise moment to make his entry, the smell of food having awakened the beast. His cousin stood over Harry practically drooling into his breakfast. Exasperated, Harry pushed the plate over and got up. "Here, I'll go make more," he told Dudley.
"Fanks," the big boy muttered his mouth already full of egg.
"You're welcome. Aren't you worried I may have hexed it or something?"
"Nah, you were going to eat it, you wouldn't poison yourself," Dudley replied seriously. Harry shrugged, the big lug had a point.
Dudley finished and went to leave. "Er, Dud, do you think you could at least help clean up?" Harry glared at his cousin.
"Oh, er, yeah. What do I do?"
Harry shook his head and snorted. "Okay, first you take your plate and rinse it off in the sink. Do the same with the silverware and glass, and then you put them in the dishwasher." Harry watched as Dudley followed each step like a three year old. "Okay, great! Now you can wash the pan!" he added hopefully.
Harry finished eating and went to help Dudley dry the pans and start the dishwasher. He wiped down the counter and handed his cousin the sponge. "What do I do with this?" Dudley asked.
"You clean the table," Harry told him
"Oh, that was easy!" Dudley exclaimed when they had finished.
"It's work Dud! I know how you love that!"
"I don't mind work. Its just that no one ever makes me do it!"
"Well, maybe its about time I did, then!" The boys jumped at the voice. Petunia Dursley looked around the cleaned kitchen. "Very good, Diddykins," she praised, completely ignoring Harry's input. "It is probably a good idea for you to learn how to do a few things, for when you get a place of your own." Dudley frowned at his mother. "Your father doesn't think it necessary though," she added. "Harry, Gloria Evans called last night and said to arrive by 1:30." Harry nodded. "And be careful what you say!" Despite her aggravated tone, it seemed that she had forgotten the previous mornings' incident.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," he responded, smiling to himself. They would find out about it all soon enough!
At a quarter after one o'clock, Harry Potter rang the doorbell at 112 Magnolia Road. "Oh, great you're early! Gloria exclaimed "Come in, come in. Don't be shy." Mark was in the living room watching an animal show on the telly and Harry went in to say hi. A few minutes later, Gloria beckoned him into the kitchen to 'go over a few things'.
"Here's my phone number at work, and this is Jake's cell phone number." Harry looked a little puzzled but didn't say anything. "Jake is rarely in his office, so you'll be able to reach him anywhere. Unless he's in court, of course, he has to shut off the phone there." Harry nodded silently, not wanting to show his naiveté. "I'm only a few minutes away," she continued, "in case you need anything."
"Okay, but I'm sure we'll be fine" he told her, knowing that if anything went wrong there would be half the Order of the Phoenix at the door!
"Um, Harry," Gloria said slowly, "we are looking into a few schools for Mark and we were wondering where you went to school?" Harry froze. It was an innocent question, but he could tell by her tone and nervousness that she knew he didn't go to 'St. Brutus' as Uncle Vernon told everyone. His heart was beating wildly as he wondered if Mark had already gotten his letter.
"Harry?" Gloria prodded
"Er, yeah my school. Er, its in Scotland," he stammered, trying to remember what Hermione's parents told people.
"Oh, that's pretty far away. Do you like it?" she asked.
"I love it" Harry said excitedly, smiling broadly. "It's great!"
Gloria studied the boy. He had a lovely smile, which didn't often appear on his face. He usually wandered around as though he had the weight of the world upon his shoulders. At least he had one bright spot in his life! Jake had done some research before they had asked Harry to come and stay. What he found had disturbed her slightly. According to his school records, which Jake was able to obtain through his position at the family courts, Harry went to a prestigious academy for gifted teens, Hogwarts School of Wisdom and Wonder. So prestigious, in fact, that admission was by invitation only. Petunia Dursley had made it sound like a school for juvenile delinquents. Why they weren't proud of their nephew, Gloria could not comprehend! They had uncovered several other interesting things in Harry's records. The Dursleys were only his legal guardians, they had made no attempt to change his status as a ward. This was rare these days, especially when a baby has been put in the care of family, most children in such situations are adopted by their relatives, in fact the courts usually dictate such a change in status. It seemed that Harry had fallen through the cracks of the court system, and the school system as well. There were several "red flags" that Gloria, as a social worker, immediately recognized: notes from teachers regarding poor homework habits, from the school nurse for sending the boy to school while ill, disciplinary reports of unusual behavior, and of being bullied and in fights. The one she found most distressing was a letter from the nurse threatening legal intervention if his guardians did not have his eyesight checked and corrected. It was obvious that the Dursleys were not very supportive of their nephew, if not outright negligent! Right now, though she couldn't understand why Harry was being evasive. "Harry," she asked again gently, "does your school have a name?"
"Er, …Hogwarts"
"Oh! Isn't that a school for gifted and talents kids?"
Harry looked up curiously, his eyes narrowing, "How did you know that?" he asked sharply, remembering that that was exactly what the Grangers told people.
"I must admit, Harry, we did a little research on you. We certainly wouldn't leave our son with someone who goes to a school for 'incurable criminals'! Remind me to mention to your uncle that St. Brutus' closed in the 70's!"
Harry laughed. She had caught Vernon's big lie. His stomach turned a little at the thought of what else they had discovered. It probably didn't matter too much, they would know in a few days anyway. He wondered if Mark had received his letter. "Has Mark gotten an invitation to Hogwarts?" he inquired. "I mean, is that why you asked?"
"No, hardly!" she smiled, "I don't think his grades are good enough."
"Neither were mine. That's er, not really what they go by," he told her honestly. McGonagall had said not to tell them anything, so he changed the subject. "Is there anything you need me to do around the house? Start dinner or clean up ?"
"Certainly not Harry! You're here as our guest, to keep Mark company, just make yourself at home!" Gloria told him, mentally chastising herself as Harry let out a snort of laughter.
"Then you'll have to show me where the mops are!"
"I meant, relax and enjoy yourself! Not too much, though" she added trying to sound menacing.
Harry and Mark spent the week playing football, chess, and even video games, which Harry got the hang of fairly quickly. In fact, he was quite good, having excellent hand/eye coordination from playing Quidditch. They spent one rainy afternoon watching movies, Harry particularly liked "The Lion King" and they watched it twice. The plot certainly hit home for him; a young lion cub thinks he's responsible for his father's death and runs away. Eventually he realizes that he must return to fulfill his destiny. Harry hoped that his ending would be 'happily ever after' as well. In the meantime he decided "Hakuna Matata" was as good a motto as anything, not to mention a very catchy song. He decided to add the chant to his growing list of mantras and use it to help abate his anger. 'No worries', indeed! All in all, he was having a great time with Mark, considering the difference in their ages. So far, he was having the best summer of his life, which was fortunate, considering it had been one of the worst years in his life.
The Evans' made no mention of having received any odd post, that is until Friday afternoon. Jake called Harry into the kitchen after the man had come home a little early. He seemed unusually nervous and was holding a parchment letter. "Do you know anything about this, Harry?" he asked, handing the letter to the teen.
It was not an admission letter to Hogwarts, but a note from Professor McGonagall arranging to come for tea to explain her school to them on Saturday. Harry nodded. "Yeah. I mean, this is from my Deputy Headmistress. She told me that Mark would be receiving an invitation to Hogwarts. She asked that I didn't mention it to you until she spoke with you."
"I do appreciate that, Harry. We haven't told Mark anything yet. At first we thought this was a bit of a prank. Not that we thought you had anything to do with it," he added quickly, "but it was all a bit strange! Especially the Witchcraft and Wizardry part!" Harry nodded, he could understand why. After a brief silence, Jake blurted out, "Harry, are you a wizard?"
He was so surprised at the directness of the inquiry, that Harry could only nod in response.
"Whoa!" Jake exclaimed, flopping into the nearest chair. "Is Mark a wizard, then?"
" Yes, sir. Yes he is. I guess it runs in the Evans family somewhere," Harry said smiling. "Listen, Jake, I know this is all really weird, but there are probably a few things you should know.." Harry started to say, but Jake was just staring past him. "Jake, are you alright?"
"Oh, ah, yes, I think so. This is all just a little unreal! I suppose we'll have to wait to get more information tomorrow then. The letter said something about magical secrecy, I don't want to get you in trouble"
"Thanks," Harry said. "Are you going to send Mark to Hogwarts?"
"We're really not sure. This is all pretty unexpected. I can't imagine how we would have reacted if we hadn't already known that you went there. I guess it explains a lot about your family. I suppose they don't like magic. Dursley doesn't strike me as a man with much imagination!"
"No, you are right on both counts," Harry told him. "You don't seem to mind though."
"I've always been fascinated by the supernatural and stuff like that. Humans have such great potential and we only use a tiny bit of it. It seems obvious to me that there is so much more out there. But my own son? I mean we knew he was different, he has had some odd things happen around him, but to be magical? A wizard? That's kind of scary that we didn't know."
"Not really," Harry told him, "it doesn't really show up until you get older. I never knew, but strange things always happened to me too. Now, that I know why, I feel much more comfortable, more, its hard to say… complete maybe."
"I understand, at least I think I do." Jake told him "Harry would you come over tomorrow for tea?"
"Sure, I'd love to! See you then!" The young wizard grinned. He headed back to number 4, happier than he had been in years.
Harry looked up from the book he had been reading in the garden. He thought he had heard mewing close by, but didn't see any of Mrs. Figg's cat sentries nearby. It was almost three o'clock anyway so he decided to head inside and get ready to go to Mark's for tea. As he opened the back door, a streak of gray flew past him and through the kitchen. Harry followed it up the stairs, his wand at the ready. He stopped at the top of the stairs, and noticing the familiar tabby cat looking curiously at the flap in his door, put his wand away. The tabby apparently decided to use the smaller entry and disappeared into Harry's room. Entering the more conventional way, the teen smiled as he greeted his Transfiguration Professor, who was now back in her human form and waiting for him.
"I didn't realize you had a cat, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall stated blatantly.
"I don't," he replied mater of factly. The professor looked back at the door and raised her eyebrows in question. "It's a long story," he told her, not wanting to get into the fact that his aunt and uncle used to lock him in his room.
"Oh, does it have anything to do with all the locks on the outside of the door?" she asked him shrewdly. Her student just looked to the floor and sighed. "I figured as such," she shook her head. "Well, no matter, you won't be here much longer anyway."
Harry's heart leapt, but then stopped just as quickly. He had been having a very good summer, for a change, and he certainly wasn't sure he wanted to go to Grimmauld Place. "I don't mind staying here, if its safer," he ventured.
She smiled at him, "well, that's a nice change, I'm sure. However, Remus will be picking you up on Friday, none-the-less. Professor Dumbledore has some plans for you, and your friends," she added.
He looked up at her, "are Ron and Hermione going to be there?" he asked hopefully. At least having his best mates with him at his Godfather's house would make it a little more bearable. Despite the fact that Dumbledore had told him there were many changes made to the Order Headquarters, it was still Sirius' old house and full of memories of him.
"They will most likely arrive a few days later. Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom as well."
"Neville and Luna, too? Have their families joined the Order?" Harry asked, surprised at the revelation.
"They chose to go with you to the Ministry, Potter. As such, they made their alliances well known,." she told him gravely. Harry sighed dejectedly. He had put them all in danger! "Potter, their families have long been against the Dark. The choice they made was based on that, not just on loyalty to you. Now, would you care to escort me to tea?"
Gloria had outdone even Aunt Petunia with the tea. Fancy cakes and biscuits were laid out on the dining room sideboard. Plates of scones, crumpets and finger sandwiches were set upon the table, along with assorted spreads and sweets. A large antique looking silver tea set was waiting in the middle of the table. Jake ushered them in a little nervously. Professor McGonagall, although dressed in her Muggle finest, was still an imposing sight, looking every bit the strict schoolmarm. Mark's parents had only told him that they were expecting a guest to discuss a new school for him, and he was thrilled to see Harry there. If he had to go away to school, he was glad he would already have a friend.
"This is very lovely, Mrs. Evans," McGonagall politely pointed to the tea service. "Are you expecting a lot more guests?" Her manner was as formal as ever, but she was smiling coyly.
Gloria blushed, "No, just us, I guess I did get a little carried away, though. Won't you please sit down?"
"Actually, I hope you don't mind, but we have a lot to discuss. I believe it would be more comfortable in the parlour?"
"Of course, Professor," Jake hurriedly said, escorting them across the hall to the living room. Please make yourself at home. I will go and bring the tea."
"Not to worry, Mr. Evans, I am sure Mr. Potter would be happy to show off a bit! Harry, would you please bring the tea in here?"
"Certainly, Professor," her student replied, walking toward the entrance hall to return to the dining room.
"Potter," his Deputy Headmistress called, "isn't there an easier way?"
"But, Professor…," Harry couldn't believe that she could be suggesting that he use magic, after all the trouble he had gotten into last summer!"
"Relax, Mr. Potter. I'm here supervising you. There will be no repercussions."
Jake and Gloria exchanged nervous glances as their young neighbor pulled a long stick out of the waistband of his jeans, from under his baggy shirt.
"Accio, tea" he canted, silently praying that he didn't lose control of the heavy tray and spill hot liquid all over everything. Fortunately, he was able to perfectly direct it to the coffee table in front of the couch. Mark and his parents gasped. Professor McGonagall smiled proudly.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter! Now for the food, please" Soon everything that had been set up in the dining room was now across the hall. Harry had even had to conjure an extra table to fit it all. He was quite pleased with himself that there was now an exact duplicate of the console table in the entryway holding trays of biscuits and scones. Apparently, his professor was more than pleased. Her usually stoic expression had turned to one of pleasant surprise.
Mark was in shock. Harry had a magic wand and could make things fly with it! "That is soo cool! Are you like a magician or something? A witch?" the young boy asked bouncing excitedly in his seat. "How come you didn't tell me?"
"Wizard" Harry explained. "Boys are wizards and girls are witches. No one is supposed to know about magic, it could get dodgy."
"Why? What else can you do? Like fly on brooms and make potions and change people into pigs, or something?" Mark queried eagerly.
"Exactly, Mr. Evans," Professor McGonagall told him, turning serious. "It could get dangerous if everyone knew that it was possible to do those things. People would want a magical solution to all their problems, and trouble would brew."
"I guess that's understandable," Jake put in. "I certainly wouldn't want my son turned into a pig by some bully, and not be able to turn him back."
"Exactly, that and more." McGonagall said. "You can see why this must remain secret. There are a lot of laws governing magical secrecy, and you don't want to suffer the consequences, I assure you."
"Are you saying that this all could be dangerous for us?" Gloria asked concerned.
"No, not as long as you understand why it must be so. We have many Muggle-born students and in general there are no problems at all. Their immediate families are the only ones who know and they are sworn to secrecy. Everyone else is told that they go to a school for gifted children."
"Yes, we discovered that," Jake told McGonagall. The witch's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I researched Harry's school records," Jake said explaining the situation to her. The Professor nodded in understanding.
Gloria went to serve some of the food to her guests. "This table is the same as the one in the hall! How did you do that Harry? I thought you had just moved it, but the other is still there! That's amazing!"
"As a matter of fact, it is," Professor McGonagall agreed. Harry looked at her in surprise. "That is quite elaborate for someone so young," she explained. "But then, Harry is a very special young man!" Continuing in professor mode, she went on, "Unfortunately, Mrs. Evans, it won't last very long. A few hours, a day at the most. The longevity and complexity depends on the power and concentration of the witch or wizard casting the spell. Quite excellent Mr. Potter! Professor Flitwick will be quite pleased!"
Harry awoke from his shock at her praise with the realization that he had done something special. "Thank you, Professor! It was really great to just be able to do magic for fun. I don't think I've ever done it outside of school before… well, except for …" he tapered off, remembering his battles with Death Eaters and Dementors. "So Mark, what do you think? Do you want to learn magic?" Harry asked, changing the subject .
"Me? Learn m..magic? How? I'm not a wizard!.....Am I?" Mark looked between Harry and his parents, holding his breath.
"Actually, Mr. Evans, you are," Professor McGonagall told him gently.
"How come nobody told me? How could I not have known?"
"Well, Mark," His father said, "We just found out ourselves, we had no idea. Although it does explain how you managed to get those fish back in the tank safely, doesn't it?" Jake smiled, "We had a bit of an accident with the fish tank," he explained, turning to McGonagall. "It got turned over and all the fish flopped to the floor, there was water all over the place! Mark was really upset! We went to get a mop and something to pick the fish up with and when we came back, it was like nothing had happened. Mark couldn't really tell us anything, we just thought we were going crazy!" he laughed. "So I guess that's why I am not completely surprised by this. I suppose my dear old Aunt Rose was a real witch, then. Everyone always kind of knew there was something, er… different about her."
"Yes, Rose Evans was a witch, and a fine, fine woman," McGonagall told him. "She was very proud of Lily, Harry's mother. I knew her well. Now, to business, what would you like to know about Hogwarts?"
After over an hour of questions and answers many of which Harry was surprised by (he hadn't known Hogwarts had both a music and an art department, for instance), he turned to his Head of House, "I'd like to tell them about Voldemort. I think they should know, they're my friends and my family, however distant, and if he finds out- and I know he will-they will be in danger. They have to be told."
"Danger?" Gloria gasped, "Why? Didn't you say before that it was safe?"
Harry and McGonagall went on to tell them about the darkest wizard in many years and the threat of war in their world. While upset and concerned, their feeling were more on Harry's behalf than out of fear. Jake likened the situation to Hitler or Milosevitch and agreed that prejudice must be fought wherever it tried to take hold. He adamantly refused to let it affect his decision as to what was best for his son. Harry felt stifled by the sudden influx of emotions, particularly pity, the one he most despised. He had to quickly excuse himself and get some fresh air before his own emotions went out of control, leaving McGonagall to finish the discussion.
After a fast walk around the block, the young hero returned to the Evans house and sat on the front steps, thinking. "You okay, Harry?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked from somewhere behind the bushes. "You probably shouldn't have brought up You Know Who."
"You do know who! Vol-de-mort!" Harry scolded. "The more people that know, the better! Knowledge is better than strength!"
"Isn't it 'knowledge is strength'?"
The teen shrugged. "Whatever, either way! The more people that are aware of how dangerous his ideas are, and how evil his followers are, the more chance we will have to defeat him. I can't do it alone, you know!"
"Of course not Harry, no one expects you to!" the Auror studied the boy from under his invisibility cloak. Harry could tell he being stared at anyway, and got up to go inside. "You are NOT alone, Harry" Kingsley repeated fervently, but the young man was already in the door.
"Are you alright, Harry? You got really pale," Gloria asked. He nodded and mumbled his apologies. "We are really very proud to have met you, you know. Most young people these days are very self centered. You obviously care a great deal about fairness and justice. We would be proud to have our son follow in your footsteps. Even if they are magical!"
"You're going to let him go to Hogwarts?"
"Absolutely!" Jake declared. "Professor McGonagall has assured us that the Headmaster will do everything in his substantial powers to keep his students safe. As long as Mark promises to follow the rules and stay away from trouble, and maybe even away from you," he laughed, "we are confident that it is the right thing to do."
"I promise, Dad!"
Harry smiled broadly, "great, that's really great!" He gave Mark a high five, "you're going to love it Mark, I promise!" He then looked to Jake and Gloria, and whispered softly, "and I promise I'll keep him safe!"
