Chapter 12
The party wrapped up around one in the morning, and the guests all slept over, not having the energy to even apparate home. Harry, Draco, Ginny, Severus, Blaise, and Marianna headed down into the Slytherin Dorms, exhausted and ready for sleep, to the surprise and consternation of the DA members. They all piled into Harry and Draco's room, unwilling to sleep anywhere else. Harry and Draco speedily conjured thick feather beds and down blankets for everyone, and Severus claimed the third bed.
"Harry, are you finally going to tell your story? You know, about why you're so pissed at Dumbledore?" Blaise asked after they had all settled into their beds.
Harry propped himself up on his elbows, thinking how best to start without telling too much. "Dumbledore has completely manipulated me and I'm sick of it," he finally began. Everyone sat up, listening to him intently. Draco got up from his bed and sat next to Harry, placing his arm around his shoulders. Harry leaned back into the embrace, wondering how to continue.
"Dumbledore sent me to live with my relatives, the Dursleys, following the death of my parents. He thought that there was some sort of blood magic protecting me, which was not the case. Alanna told us that I was just too powerful for Voldemort to kill." Blaise and Marianna winced at the Dark Lord's name. "Dumbledore left me in an abusive home, where I was hurt horribly for being able to do magic, and he didn't do a thing to stop it." Draco's arm tightened. "Dumbledore knew that my mum and Uncle Severus had completed a Blood Binding ritual, and he could have left me with him, but he didn't. In fact, my mum had put in her will that I was supposed to live with Professor Snape if anything happened to her and my dad if Sirius Black, my godfather, couldn't take me in."
Blaise gaped at him. "Sirius Black, the Death Eater who betrayed your parents, is your Godfather?"
Harry sighed. "Sirius was innocent. Peter Pettigrew was the betrayer, not Siri. Pettigrew is Wormtail, the Death Eater." Blaise nodded, incredibly surprised.
"So, Dumbledore has been grooming me to be the perfect little pawn in his master plan, and I'm tired of it. He didn't tell me a thing about the Prophesy, or why Voldemort targeted me and my parents, or anything. He's been feeding me snippets of information, stringing me along, and I can't bloody take it any more." Harry finished ranting and lay back against Draco's chest, ignoring the strange look Blaise had on his face as he stared at the two demigods.
"So, in the end, Dumbledore isn't any better than Voldemort..." Blaise mused, breaking the silence.
Draco shifted his weight. "I wouldn't say that," he commented. "Dumbledore is much better than Voldemort. He doesn't cast Crucatius on his followers or threaten their families. He is genuinely working for the greater good of the Wizarding World. He just doesn't have the best plan of how to get his goals accomplished. He is only human, after all. He makes mistakes."
"Even thought he thinks he is better than the demigods," Harry remarked sourly.
Severus snorted. "Alanna and Xander disproved him of that in a hurry."
"How did you know? You weren't even there..." Harry trailed off, confused.
"When we bonded like that, we received each others' memories, Harry. Suffice to say I now know exactly who stole my potions ingredients in second year." Harry gulped at the mock glare on his uncle's face.
Draco stared at Harry. "That was you and Ron? Damn, a polyjuice potion in second year. Are you sure you abhor potions?"
Harry squirmed, uncomfortable. "I don't abhor it, necessarily. It just goes too slow for me." At Severus and Draco's incredulous and slightly miffed looks, he hastened to explain. "I like the other stuff because I can pick it up so quickly and move on to other things. When I brew a potion, I get bored with it half way through. It's like I can't concentrate on it long enough to complete it, or something. Hermione was talking about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or something. She says I can't concentrate on anything, which is why my papers suck."
Severus stared at him thoughtfully. "So if you could concentrate on your studies, you'd like it better?" he asked, musing on several solutions to the problem.
"I guess, I've never thought of it before." Harry yawned, suddenly so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
*Go to sleep, Harry. We all need our rest.* Ginny sleepily grinned at him, and Draco moved back to his own bed.
"Everyone, go to sleep. We've had a long day," Severus ordered kindly. Everyone was all too happy to comply. The weary Potions master dimmed the lights, and everyone finally fell asleep.
The following morning at breakfast, after all the guests had left, Dumbledore took Harry aside. The Headmaster pulled him out of the Great Hall.
"Harry, I know you agreed to help your aunt, but I have another favor to ask you. Remember how Dudley needs to take his OWLS in about a week? Would you mind helping him study? I would be extremely grateful." Harry nodded, thinking only about his now cold breakfast.
"Sure, Professor Dumbledore, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and I would be more than happy to help." He turned and walked back to the Slytherin table. He slid back into his seat next to Draco and across from Ginny and Severus.
*Draco, Hermione, Ron? Dudley needs help with studying for the OWLS. I think we can just imprint the information we learned in his mind, so it should take about five minutes, maximum. You game?* Harry idly speared a piece of egg.
*Sure, Harry. I'll help your cousin. Who knows? Maybe he'll do better than all of us combined....* Hermione thought, sincerely hoping that he wouldn't.
Harry snickered. *Considering he was sorted into Hufflepuff, I don't think so.* Draco laughed out loud, startling Dudley and Petunia, who had just walked into the hall.
"Hey, Dudley! Over here!" Harry waved his cousin over, and really looked at him. *Hmmm. Dudley's actually lost a lot of weight. This whole magic thing could be good for him, after all.*
Dudley and Petunia sat down next to Harry and Draco, immediately tucking into breakfast. "Hey, Dudley, you are taking the OWLS in a week, right?" Dudley nodded. "Hermione, Draco, Ron, and I will help you study, the demigod way." Dudley brightened, grinning. Petunia stared at her nephew strangely.
"What is the demigod way to studying, or do I even want to know?" she asked, toying with a piece of toast.
"It's simple, really. We just take what we know and imprint it into Dudley's mind. It's almost exactly like a computer download, but no viruses." Petunia nodded, but Draco looked incredibly confused by the explanation. *What's a computer?* he asked Harry.
Harry stared at him. *That is going to take too long to explain. How about I just show you one then next time we hit Muggle London, instead?* Draco nodded.
"Oh, Aunt Petunia, which hospital do you work in?" Harry asked, changing the conversation.
"St. Bridget's in South Surrey, why? Oh wait, I have to call them. My leave of absence is almost up." she answered, looking around for a telephone. "Harry, is there a phone in here?"
"No, phones don't work here. But, I have a thought about where you're going to stay, you know, with the divorce and all; you can't go back to Privet Drive. Supposedly I own an apartment complex in South Surry that I think is within two blocks from the hospital. So, I think I'm going to go over there to check it out later on today. You want to come?"
Petunia stared at him in shock, a tear slipping down her face. "Harry, I've never been anything but horrid to you. Why are you helping us?" she sobbed, her voice wavering. She stood up abruptly, knocking over her goblet of orange juice and walked away from the table. Harry waved his hand, making the mess disappear.
"What do you mean why am I helping you? What do you expect me to do?" Harry asked, confused. He turned to Draco, who was studying him intently. "What? What did I do?"
"She is right. Why are you helping her and Dudley? They hurt you and treated you horribly, but you are helping Dudley fit into Hogwarts and now you have offered your aunt a place to live. They were ABUSIVE, Harry. Why are you helping them?" Draco buttered a piece of toast.
Harry stared at him. "I-I don't know," he finally said, staring at his plate, a wave of fury unexpectedly rushing over him. Angrily, he pushed it away from him. "The same reason I helped you, the same reason I do every fucking thing around here. BECAUSE IT'S EXPECTED OF ME!" he bellowed and ran out of the hall. Draco heard the doors the Entrance Hall slam open and shut. Severus raised his eyebrows.
"I assume you know what that was all about?" he asked his Godson.
"I have no idea, but I'm about to find out." Draco stood up, and with much less fanfare, gracefully strode from the Hall. Ginny, brows nearly in her hairline, started to stand up.
"Are you coming?" she asked Sev. Sev stood up as well, taking one last swig of pumpkin juice.
"Let's go find out what's bothering him now," he dourly said, rolling his eyes heavenward.
Harry sat in the hot spring, trying to soak away his anger. *I just don't understand. Everything is changing so rapidly, it's hard to keep up. Ron and Hermione aren't my best friends anymore, and now my archrival in school has taken their place, along with my former best friend's sister. I'm related to the same professor who has made my life hell for the last six years at the only place I can call home, and now I am paying the tuition and giving a home to the people who have beaten and starved me for my entire life. Why the fuck is everything so confusing?* Harry opened his eyes to see Draco leaning against a tree.
*Damn, that is confusing. What brought it all on?* Draco asked, stripping down to his boxers. He waved a hand, and they turned into swim trunks.
*I don't know. Damn it all to hell, I can't even be mad at you any more! This SUCKS!* Harry slid under water completely. Only a small stream of exhaled bubbles marked his location. Draco slid into the water next to him, sighing in bliss. Severus and Ginny appeared in the small clearing, her holding onto Sev's arm for dear life.
*I DON'T like apparation,* Ginny whimpered, scowling. She saw the water and gasped eyes wide. *Ohhh, that looks heavenly.* She hastily stripped down to a neatly transfigured tankini bathing suit and slid quickly into the water. Severus followed suit, snickering quietly at his newest 'niece'.
Harry sat back up, scowling. *What is this, a pool party? Who invited you all, anyway? I did want to be alone.* Draco cuffed his head.
*Dumbass, you can't ditch us. That's what it means to be a Slytherin or to hang out with Slytherins. You can't get rid of us so easily.* Severus nodded his agreement, smirking.
*Besides, Ron may not have inherited the Weaseley temper, but I have. Harold James Potter, what the HELL do you think you are trying to pull?* Ginny yelled at him, glaring. "First, you snap at everyone and now you are being rude! Knock it the fuck off!*
*GINNY, LANGUAGE!* Severus glared at her. She glared back at him, and then rolled her eyes.
*Fine, I'm sorry, Uncle Sev. I'm sorry I offended you.* She sat back, too relaxed to argue. *Harry, just talk to us. You don't need to be an ass about it.*
Harry sighed. *I haven't even figured it out myself.*
*SO TALK ALREADY!* came the heated response from the three of them.
*Why? Why should I be talking to you? Why am I agreeing to everything? Why aren't I fighting this tooth and nail? Why the hell am I just accepting that the two people who have made my life here miserable are now two of the closest people to me? Why am I just accepting that my best friends are too wrapped up in themselves to notice me? Why am I helping the two people who could have saved me from my uncle raping me?? Why am I doing this?* He leaned back, resting his head on a mossy knoll behind him.
Severus, Ginny, and Draco stared at each other. Ginny had tears in her eyes. *What did your uncle do to you?* she asked in astonishment and anger. She looked back and forth between her 'uncle' and 'brother'. *And WHY isn't anyone torturing that fat bastard right now?*
Harry looked at her tiredly. *Because I, for some God awful reason, don't want to. Even though I should hate him with every fiber of my being, I just can't. I can't hate anyone, and that's the emotion that's been fueling me for so long that I don't know what to do. I should hate Voldemort, I should hate my uncle, I should hate Lestrange, I should hate Slytherins, but I don't. Everything is fucked, and I just can't bring myself to care. Do you know that I felt nothing when I killed her? Nothing. It was like squashing a bug, and that scares me. I feel that I should be reacting and fighting these changes, but I'm not and I don't know why. I finally thought about it and it scares me. I don't know why I'm taking this so well.*
*Considering that you are currently freaking out, I don't think you are taking this well at all.* Severus leaned forward, pulling his nephew into a hug. Harry relaxed, then stiffened and backed away.
*This is what I'm talking about. Why are you hugging me, and why am I allowing it? Why do I want you to hug me? I don't get it. I'm so confused,* Harry moaned, tears leaking from his eyes. Draco sighed.
*Maybe because you really like him and want him to be your guardian?* Draco asked, shaking his head. *Stop questioning it and just go with it, Harry. Why question the first real good thing that has ever happened to you?*
*Because everything good that has happened to me has come at a price tag, or has been taken away. I finally escape my uncle, only to have to go back every summer. I make friends, but as soon as I show them the real me, they get scared and think I'm evil or a freak. I gain a godfather only to have him taken away from me before he can take me out of that house. I'm tired of it. What if you all are taken away from me? I can't take it if I lose you also.*
Severus sighed in exasperation. *Oh come here, you.* He pulled Harry into a bear hug, Draco and Ginny joining in.
*Group hug!* Ginny sniggered, and they all looked at each other, cracking up.
Harry sat there for a long time in his uncle's, soul mate's and little sister's arms. After a while they separated, still laughing. They sat in the spring for an hour, just talking.
*You know, Harry, we aren't going anywhere. We are going to be here for you, no matter what. It's going to take more than the occasional shit fit from you to drive us away, and we don't think you are an evil freak* Severus promised, smirking.
They finally left the spring, talking animatedly. Harry was much calmer. They apparated back to Hogwarts, and Harry went in search of his aunt. He found her in the library, helping Dudley work his way through a tome.
"Oh geez, Duddy, it's been ages since I took Latin in high school. Let's see. The introductory spell Mobilicus Corpus - mobile corpse- can-" Harry sat down, interrupting her.
"Aunt Petunia, those are actually spells. You say them in Latin. Anyway, ditch the book. Let's check out the Apartment complex." He pulled his astonished aunt and cousin up and dragged them to Severus, who was waiting in the corridor.
"So, how are we getting there, Uncle Sev?" Harry asked. Petunia stared worriedly at her nephew.
Severus thought a minute, enjoying the discomfort on Petunia's face. *Oh, this will be fun.* "I thought we'd, what do those Muggles do with those automobiles? Drive?" Petunia blanched at the thought of the Potions Master driving. Little children, pets, and stray chickens, beware!
"Oh no, that's all right. Isn't there a way to connect the Floo?" Petunia hastily suggested.
"No, we don't know who lives there, if anyone at all. So, we'll have to go incognito in an automobile. I'll just get the Rolls." Severus sauntered down the hall and disappeared from view.
"He has a ROLLS???" Petunia gasped.
Harry grinned. "When traveling with some of the richest wizards in the world, you travel in style."
Harry, Dudley, and Petunia walked out of the school and stared as a sleek black Rolls Royce pulled up to the gates. Severus, Draco and Ginny poked their heads out the windows.
"Hey, come on!" Ginny called, waving. Harry jogged to the car and, pulling the back door open, held it for his Aunt and cousin.
Three hours later, they returned to Hogwarts. Harry had set up his aunt in one of the townhouses. She still could not understand why Harry was helping her, and Harry didn't understand it, either, but he did it anyway. Harry and Draco, later that day, with the help of Hermione, basically downloaded five years of knowledge into Dudley's brain in five minutes flat.
Three days later, Dudley sat for his OWLS. Harry and Draco went over the questions with him afterwards, and were shocked to discover that Dudley would probably score an E or better on all his OWLS.
Petunia, when Vernon was out of the house on Privet Drive, Flooed there with the intent to pack her, Dudley's and Harry's belongings and leave. Harry went with her to help. They discovered that Vernon, in the month since they had last seen him, had completely trashed the house. Beer bottles and TV dinner trays were strewn about the floor, the garbage was overflowing, and there were rips and stains on the upholstery. Harry grimly walked upstairs after his aunt. Harry stood in the center of the hallway, unwilling to even set foot in his bedroom. He spread his arms and bellowed "PACK!" Objects began flying out of the rooms and into several boxes he had conjured. Petunia came screaming out of the bedroom, being chased by her flying cocktail dress. She watched, amazed, and everything packed itself in two minutes. Harry quickly levitated the boxes and they Flooed to her new townhouse in South Surrey to drop off the boxes.
The next week went by slowly. Petunia left Hogwarts, leaving Dudley behind with the promise to visit after work each day. Harry, Draco, Severus, Dudley, Ginny, Ron and Hermione continued to train every day. Everyone started Apparation and Animal transformations, having mastered their Elements, or, in the case of Harry, Draco, and Severus, all the elements. Ginny perfected her mind and fire control in a matter of days of training.
Harry quietly discussed with Draco, Ginny and Severus his suspicions about how she came to possess demonic abilities about two weeks after the party.
"Ginny, what did the Diary exactly do to you? Did you black out and it possess you? Or were you aware of what was happening?" he asked while they were relaxing at the spring.
Ginny frowned. "I don't like to talk about it much, mainly because no one understands and they treat me like glass. But, the first time I blacked out when the Diary possessed me. After that, I was able to regain a little more control each time. Tom wanted to kill, but I barely managed to stop him. Why?"
"I think the diary was responsible for the increase in your powers. I remember you telling Dean that it all started after the incident with the Chamber of Secrets in our second year. What do you think?" he asked Draco and Severus.
Draco had a gleam in his eye. "And I suppose you don't have the diary still?"
Harry shook his head. "I used it to free Dobby at the end of it all. Your dad has it." Harry thought for a minute. "You could summon it," he said doubtfully.
Draco thought for a moment. "Yeah, but then Dumbledore might see it. Let's do it somewhere where he won't be. How hard is it to get into Slytherin's Lair?"
"I really don't want to go back to the Chamber." Harry tried not to think about all the sweet talking Moaning Myrtle would need to allow them back in the Girl's Lavatory. Ginny caught his train of thought and laughed.
"You had to flirt with HER???" She sniggered, tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, she had the crush in ME, not the other way around. She even told me I could share her haunting ground if I died..." Harry laughed at the memory. Draco and Severus stared at him, disturbed.
"Let's go to the Chamber, then, although I really don't want to see Harry flirt with a ghost." Severus grimaced at the image.
"Hey! I don't flirt back!" Harry protested, laughing. They stood and climbed out of the spring, drying instantly. Harry, Draco, Sev and Ginny looked at each other.
"Are you three ready to try apparating, or do you want to hang onto me?" Severus asked once they were dressed.
Harry took a deep breath. *You can do this* he told himself. Draco and Ginny tensed beside him, preparing to Apparate. With a loud POP, the three of them disappeared and reappeared- inside the Girl's Lavatory on the third floor. Severus waited a heartbeat and apparated as well, following them. Thankfully, Myrtle wasn't anywhere around.
Harry opened the Chamber with a hissed "OPEN". They grimly slid down the tunnel and strode resolutely into the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, leading the way, gagged as the overpowering reek of rotting flesh filled the air. He grimly forced the air to clear and waved everyone else through. Severus strode to the center of the Chamber where the 100 foot Basilisk lay, decomposing. Severus immediately began to get samples, pulling off still viable scales for Potions ingredients.
"How come you never told us about this, Harry?" Severus asked, engrossed in his work. "Do you even know how hard Basilisk ingredients are to come by? They are almost unable to be found except for on the black market."
"I'm sorry I didn't take time out of battling for my life against this ugly thing to remember that you needed potions ingredients" Harry sarcastically replied. He picked up the fang he had used to stab the despised book and stared at it, memories rushing back to him.
"I'll take that, thank you!" Severus grabbed the fang and put it into a large jar. He shrank the jars and then, with a wave of his hand, the now stripped skeleton of the enormous serpent disappeared.
Draco stood in the center of the room and concentrated. He raised his hand, and the diary flew into it with a loud crack. For some reason, it had been restored, the hole in the center a tiny scar. Ginny took it from his hand, her fingers trembling.
"I can still feel him in there," she whispered. Harry started to take to diary from her, but Severus stopped him. "Let's see what happens," he whispered.
Ginny put the book on the ground and opened it to the center of the book. She knelt down, and put her hands over the pages. Her hands glowed a bright, swirling gold and scarlet as she concentrated. Black wisps began to emerge from her outstretched hands, and a miniature vision of Tom Riddle appeared.
"Ahhh... Ginny.... What a surprise. I didn't expect to sssssee you again....." the vision hissed.
"Hello, Tom," Ginny replied. "You look different than I remember. How did you get older?"
"Thatsss for me to know... and you to figure out..." he hissed, mocking her.
"I think not. Tom, I invoked your spirit. I ask the questions, you answer, or else I'll destroy you." Ginny raised her hand, and a spurt of flame erupted from her fingertips.
"But, Ginny... you can't make me... you aren't sssstrong enough."
"Do you really want to test that?" Ginny hissed back, her eyes turning black with a red fire behind then. Harry, Draco and Sev put their hands on her shoulders, flaring their auras.
"She isn't alone, Tom. She has usssss," Harry ended in a hiss. The vision stared at the four of them and began to talk, tripping over syllables in an effort to get the words out as fast as possible.
"The diary is Clautius's way for his chosen followers to gain even more power than they already had. It links the person's soul to the diary, and thereby, a demon. The demon becomes a part of the person, and the person absorbs the demon. What else do you want to know?" the vision rushed.
"How come you are older?" Draco asked.
"I appear to be as old as the last time I wrote in the diary. The last time I wrote was a week ago." Ginny sat back, releasing the spirit. It sank back into the pages, defeated.
"So Voldemort has his demonic powers back. That's good to know." Severus said thoughtfully, staring at the pages.
"That's ok, we can take him," Harry smirked. Draco smirked and nodded.
Ginny conjured an easy chair and sat down wearily. They each conjured a chair and sat, discussing strategy and how best to deal with this problem. After almost a half an hour, they decided to go back up to the school.
"You know, Harry this would make a really cool meeting place and Lab," Sev said thoughtfully, "if it were set up right. How do you open the sink again?"
Harry spent the entire return trip up teaching the three of them Parseltongue.
Two weeks before school started, five official looking owls flew into Hogwart's Great Hall at Lunchtime. The OWLS had arrived! Harry and Draco ripped open their letters and eagerly scanned their results.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. *Oh WOW!* he thought happily. *These are better than I thought!*
OWLS RESULTS FOR HAROLD JAMES POTTER
Astronomy E, A
Care of Magical Creatures O, O
Charms O, O
Defense Against Dark Arts O, O
Divination E, A
History of Magic E, E
Potions O, O
Transfiguration O, O
Possible careers: Auror, Professor, Minister of Magic, Healer
Harry stole a look at Draco's results after Ginny stole his from his hand. She and Severus were studying his results happily.
OWLS RESULTS FOR DRACONIS ANGELUS MALFOY
Astronomy O, O
Ancient Runes E, O
Care of Magical Creatures E, E
Charms O, O
Defense Against Dark Arts O, O
History of Magic O, E
Potions O, O
Transfiguration O, O
Possible Career Choices: Healer, Auror, Potions Master, Professor
"Damn, really good. Two more Os than I got. I would have gotten an O in Divination, but Voldemort just had to send me that nice little vision right in the middle of it." Harry griped, eating a turkey sandwich.
"You're just mad that I got better grades than you, Potter," Draco mock sneered, laughing. Harry smirked back at him, agreeing with his observation.
"Oh shut up, you both did wonderfully. Let's see what Dudley got. I bet Hermione got a perfect score, as usual." Ginny dragged Harry and Draco over to the Gryffindor table, where Dudley was talking amiably with Hermione and Ron.
"Hey, Dudley, how did you do?" Harry asked. Dudley grinned.
"Really well! I got the best grades I've every gotten in my life! Four Os, and ten Es! Thanks for your help, Harry, Draco!"
"Hey, Harry, Guess what? I got a perfect score! Isn't that great?" Hermione beamed, ecstatic.
*Told ya, perfect score. Now she's gonna rub that in our faces until the second coming!* Ginny groaned, mentally laughing. Harry and Draco mentally agreed with her, careful not to let their expressions change.
"SO, what are you going to take next year?" Harry asked, changing the subject. Draco and Hermione brightened, anxious to start the new school year. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in unison.
"I want to continue Ancient Runes, start Languages of Power and Spellwriting, Advanced Newts Level Potions, and Advanced Newts Level Care of Magical Creatures. The rest I really don't want to take. They're going to be so boring with all the wandless magic we've learned. Transfiguration and Charms will be a snap, literally." Draco drawled, smirking.
Hermione glared at him. "How can you say that? They still have loads to teach us and-" Harry cut her off impatiently.
"He's right, 'Mione. We all can just will stuff into being. There's no point to trying to transfigure something when we can create it out of thin air." Hermione closed her mouth with a snap, then nodded reluctantly.
"You are right, I didn't think of it that way. We are way to advanced for that stuff. But, Spellwriting sounds like fun. Harry, what are you going to take?"
"Same as Draco. It'll make things a lot easier for studying and tests. But, I heard that Uncle Sev is going to have and Experimental Potions class, to create new potions and improve old ones. That sounds like fun." Harry made a face. "I hope he changes his mind about it only being open to seventh years."
Ron stared at him incredulously. "I thought you hated Potions," he accused.
Harry shrugged. "Not really, since being so closely bonded with Draco, I'm able to concentrate more. I find it pretty cool, actually." Draco smirked.
*I know I'm such a grounding presence,* he teased.
*If you're so grounding, then how come I'm earth and you're supposed to be the airhead?* Harry teased back. Draco pouted.
Ron stared at them, still disgusted with Harry's choices.
Ginny swung her arms around Harry and Draco's necks. "So, you two going to help me with my classes?" she asked playfully. Harry swung her up into his arms, much to Ron's dismay.
"Sure, sis, anything. Oh you might want to take Runes. Divination was just a joke, and I've heard that Arithmancy is pretty nice as well." Ginny squealed as he swung her around. The three of them strode from the hall, laughing. Ron and Hermione stared after them, confused and sad.
"''Mione, when did we lose them both?" Ron asked, staring forlornly after his former best friend and his little sister.
Four days later, Petunia requested that Harry and Dudley visit the townhouse. She was most secretive about why, refusing to say a word to either of them about what was going on.
They arrived through the Floo, and Petunia showed them into the dining room. There at the table, was a man with a huge stack of papers in front of him.
"Boys, this is Mr. Adams, Mr. Adams, this is my son and nephew. Dudley, Harry, he's my divorce lawyer. We are drawing up the paperwork, and we need you to sign the documents as to where you want to live, since you both are of the age to choose." Dudley took a pen from his mother's hand, frowning.
"I guess there's no point in even debating this topic. Dad hates me." Dudley signed the paper after filling out the required areas.
Aunt Petunia, I need Uncle Severus to come here. He is supposed to be my legal guardian, and I would like you two to share that responsibility." Petunia nodded, and a minute later, Severus walked into the room.
"Harry, what's going on?" Se asked. Harry handed him the papers and he read them frowning at the legal jargon. "So, why am I here, then? This seems as straightforward as it can get." He handed the papers back to Harry.
"My mum said in her will that you're my guardian. I want you to fulfill that role, along with Aunt Petunia. If you sign the documents, you will assume that responsibility." Severus snatched the papers and signed on the dotted line, smirking. Harry signed as well, documenting his consent.
Mr. Adams took the papers back and set them in his briefcase. "Now that that's over with, thank you for your time, gentlemen." Harry and Severus flooed back to Hogwarts. Dudley, in a show of support for his mum, stayed behind.
Five days before school started, everyone trooped into Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies. Harry, Ginny, Severus and Draco stared, amazed at how quickly everything had been rebuilt and returned to normal.
*It's like nothing ever happened here,* Ginny remarked in wonder, staring at Flourish and Blotts, which had been almost completely destroyed by fire and their magic. They quickly got their books and paid for them, not really wanting to hang around any longer than they had to. Ron and Hermione had disappeared the minute they had stepped from the Floo, mumbling something about needing school supplies. Harry suspected that they had found an isolated place to snog without interruptions.
Harry and Draco snuck into Knockturn Alley, determined to find Potions ingredients for the Experimental Potions class. Ginny followed them, having nothing better to do. Dudley sat in the Leaky Cauldron with ten Galleons, determined to sample every type of liquor Tom had in stock.
Harry, Ginny and Draco strode into an Apocathary Store, just browsing. They suddenly heard a familiar voice. Harry shrouded them in an invisibility spell, and they saw Pansy, her father, Theodore Nott, and his father come out of the back.
"Theo, you had better find a way to hide the Mark better than you did last year," Pansy whined in her high pitched, nasal voice. Draco shuddered.
"Pans, relax. No one will find out." Theodore slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the lips. Draco gagged silently, feeling the bile rise in his throat.
*How can he even stand touching her? That is so GROSS!*
Harry, Draco and Ginny apparated out of the store before they were discovered. They hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron, thoroughly disgusted and done with shopping. They checked in with Severus, and told him what they had seen before apparating back to right outside the wards. They walked back to the castle in silence.
On the afternoon of September First, Harry, Draco, and Ginny waited anxiously at their tables, certain that their friends were about to arrive. Dudley sat at his Hufflepuff table nervously. Sure enough, the second through seventh years bounded through the doors of the Great Hall, laughing and catching up from a summer apart. Luna rushed over to Ginny, and they hugged, laughing.
Neville, Dean, and Seamus walked to Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry and Ron, the latter ignoring the former. Hermione sat in between them, preparing herself for World War Three. At the Teacher's table, Dumbledore stood, and raised his hand, gesturing for silence. Right next to him, sat a smiling, well dressed Remus Lupin who had returned as the DADA Professor. On the other side of Dumbledore sat Professor Snape, who in his traditional nasty person role, glared at everyone. Gradually the Great Hall quieted, and Professor McGonagall led a group of first years, followed by nine older students, ranging from third to sixth years, from the looks of them. She led them to the front of the Hall, and the Sorting Hal began to sing.
Oh I'm the Sorting Hat,
That much you can't deny
I may not be so pretty
but sort you I shall try.
I could sort you into Gryffindor
where dwell the brave of heart
When going into danger
from your side they'll not depart
Or maybe into Hufflepuff
you'll truly find your spot
A tried, true friend you'll always have
within this loyal lot
Ravenclaw would be the best
for those of lightning mind
where intellect and knowledge
you know you'll always find
Or perhaps into Slytherin
you'll find it suits you best
with razor wit and cunning
you'll sneak on by the rest
I split you into houses
but you must work together
an evil comes, far greater
than, separate, you can weather
Voldemort is just a pawn,
his master is true evil
you must put aside your differences
to fight the forces of the Devil
Our powerful new allies
have come to play their parts
the Demigods of Heaven
have fin'lly come to Hogwarts
With Dragons, Elves, and Veela
The Vampires are coming, too
we all must fight together
or else we all are through
So as I sort you into Houses,
remember we are one
We all must work together
or Hell's forces will have won.
The students stared at each other, some in fear, and others searching the Hall for the Demigods the Hat spoke of. No one made a sound. The teachers looked at each other worriedly.
Dumbledore raised his voice, echoing off the already silent Hall. "This year, we have an unusual occurrence. Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter's cousin, has joined us this year. He has already been sorted into Hufflepuff, and will be starting his sixth year. Please stand, Dudley." Dudley stood shyly, and the entire Hall was filled with applause. He sat down, blushing.
Dumbledore continued, clearing his throat. "Also, we have nine transfer students to be sorted, and twenty first years." He sat down and nodded to Professor McGonagall, who opened her scroll and started to read, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.
"Damien..... DAMIEN!" A tall, strawberry blond teenage boy strode to sit on the stool, smirking.
"RAVENCLAW, 5th year!" shouted the Hat.
"Gabrielle!" A smaller, willowy raven haired girl sat on the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 4th year!"
"Gaila!" A cute, pixyish teenage girl sat down.
"GRYFFINDOR, 6th year!"
"George, Emily!" A tall, curvy redhead sauntered up.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Michael!" A tall, extremely sexy, dark haired teen swaggered up to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Nicholai!" A dark haired, Russian boy sat on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF, 5th year!"
"Olivia!" A tall, pretty blond sat on the stool
"GRYFFINDOR, 6th year!"
"Raphael!" A tall, hot, Latino guy walked up to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Rowan!" A tall blond girl swept up the isle.
"RAVENCLAW, 4th year!"
Once the transfer students had sat down, finished, Professor McGonagall started to call the First Years one by one.
"Andrews, Erin!" A small blond crept to the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Bones, James!" Susan Bones's younger brother sat down on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Botts, Lawrence!" A dark haired boy suspiciously eyed the Hat as it was placed on his head.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Davids, Griffin!" A sandy blond youth smirked at the Hat before slipping it on.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Finnigan, Kelly!" Seamus's little sister smirked as she sat down.
"SLYTHIERIN!"
"Finnigan, Sean!" Her twin brother shook his head at her, then sat down himself.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Hicks, Julie!" A scared little redhead shyly sat down and closed her eyes.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Hocter, William!" A boy of medium build strode to the stool and planted the hat firmly on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Jones, Erika!" A smart looking girl with glasses sat down nervously.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Kelly, Bridget!" A flaming redhead with icy blue eyes smirked as she sat.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Lupa, Argonne!" a beautiful waif with silver hair strode to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Malfoy, Crystal!" A pretty strawberry blond sat down, a disinterested look on her face.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Malfoy, Veronica!" A brunette took her place.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"O'Brian, Kevin!" A sandy blond boy shrugged and sat down on the stool.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise and fear as she read the next name, and she turned as white as the parchment in her hand. "Potter.... James." Harry's head shot up and he stared at the black haired boy who sauntered up to the stool. Severus's and Remus's heads shot up as well, an they both turned white. Remus started to cry softly, and Severus searched the last bunch of First Years. He gasped, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Hey, Minerva- oops, I mean Professor McGonagall. So sorry. Hey, HAT! How's it going?" He sat on the stool.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, you know where you're going. Ever the GRYFFINDOR!" Harry stared at the smirking boy, and then focused on the petite redhead with green eyes who was staring at him, love in her eyes. He turned to Alanna and Xander seated at the end of the Teacher's table. They nodded at him slowly, grinning insanely. Harry stared, wide eyed, and started to cry.
James sat down next to his son. They looked at each other, tears falling freely down their faces. The rest of the students stared at them, completely confused.
McGonagall stared at the parchment. "Potter, Lily Evans..." she managed to gasp before falling to the floor in a dead faint. Lily sauntered up.
"Aww, and I wanted to tease her! Hey, Hat! What's up?" She sat on the stool and plopped the hat on her head.
"Hello again, Mrs. Potter. Are you ready to finally go into the house where you belong? You sweet talked me once, but you discovered that you were unhappy." Lily nodded firmly. "All right, SLYTHERIN!" Grinning, Lily hopped off the stool. She strode over to the Gryffindor table and pulled her husband and son by their arms out of their seats. Lily and James grew, in the blink of an eye, from the eleven year olds they had appeared to be to Severus's age as they ran out of the Great Hall together, slamming the doors open with a bang. Severus and Remus, at Alanna's nod, rushed from their seats, sprinting after them. They stood a few feet from the doorway, hugging and crying in plain view of the astounded students.
Ginny and Draco nodded to each other and stood, grinning. They walked from their tables and, slinging their arms around each others' shoulders, strolled out of the Hall. They turned, and, grinning at each other, pulled the doors shut behind them.
"MUM!!! DAD!!!!"
The party wrapped up around one in the morning, and the guests all slept over, not having the energy to even apparate home. Harry, Draco, Ginny, Severus, Blaise, and Marianna headed down into the Slytherin Dorms, exhausted and ready for sleep, to the surprise and consternation of the DA members. They all piled into Harry and Draco's room, unwilling to sleep anywhere else. Harry and Draco speedily conjured thick feather beds and down blankets for everyone, and Severus claimed the third bed.
"Harry, are you finally going to tell your story? You know, about why you're so pissed at Dumbledore?" Blaise asked after they had all settled into their beds.
Harry propped himself up on his elbows, thinking how best to start without telling too much. "Dumbledore has completely manipulated me and I'm sick of it," he finally began. Everyone sat up, listening to him intently. Draco got up from his bed and sat next to Harry, placing his arm around his shoulders. Harry leaned back into the embrace, wondering how to continue.
"Dumbledore sent me to live with my relatives, the Dursleys, following the death of my parents. He thought that there was some sort of blood magic protecting me, which was not the case. Alanna told us that I was just too powerful for Voldemort to kill." Blaise and Marianna winced at the Dark Lord's name. "Dumbledore left me in an abusive home, where I was hurt horribly for being able to do magic, and he didn't do a thing to stop it." Draco's arm tightened. "Dumbledore knew that my mum and Uncle Severus had completed a Blood Binding ritual, and he could have left me with him, but he didn't. In fact, my mum had put in her will that I was supposed to live with Professor Snape if anything happened to her and my dad if Sirius Black, my godfather, couldn't take me in."
Blaise gaped at him. "Sirius Black, the Death Eater who betrayed your parents, is your Godfather?"
Harry sighed. "Sirius was innocent. Peter Pettigrew was the betrayer, not Siri. Pettigrew is Wormtail, the Death Eater." Blaise nodded, incredibly surprised.
"So, Dumbledore has been grooming me to be the perfect little pawn in his master plan, and I'm tired of it. He didn't tell me a thing about the Prophesy, or why Voldemort targeted me and my parents, or anything. He's been feeding me snippets of information, stringing me along, and I can't bloody take it any more." Harry finished ranting and lay back against Draco's chest, ignoring the strange look Blaise had on his face as he stared at the two demigods.
"So, in the end, Dumbledore isn't any better than Voldemort..." Blaise mused, breaking the silence.
Draco shifted his weight. "I wouldn't say that," he commented. "Dumbledore is much better than Voldemort. He doesn't cast Crucatius on his followers or threaten their families. He is genuinely working for the greater good of the Wizarding World. He just doesn't have the best plan of how to get his goals accomplished. He is only human, after all. He makes mistakes."
"Even thought he thinks he is better than the demigods," Harry remarked sourly.
Severus snorted. "Alanna and Xander disproved him of that in a hurry."
"How did you know? You weren't even there..." Harry trailed off, confused.
"When we bonded like that, we received each others' memories, Harry. Suffice to say I now know exactly who stole my potions ingredients in second year." Harry gulped at the mock glare on his uncle's face.
Draco stared at Harry. "That was you and Ron? Damn, a polyjuice potion in second year. Are you sure you abhor potions?"
Harry squirmed, uncomfortable. "I don't abhor it, necessarily. It just goes too slow for me." At Severus and Draco's incredulous and slightly miffed looks, he hastened to explain. "I like the other stuff because I can pick it up so quickly and move on to other things. When I brew a potion, I get bored with it half way through. It's like I can't concentrate on it long enough to complete it, or something. Hermione was talking about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or something. She says I can't concentrate on anything, which is why my papers suck."
Severus stared at him thoughtfully. "So if you could concentrate on your studies, you'd like it better?" he asked, musing on several solutions to the problem.
"I guess, I've never thought of it before." Harry yawned, suddenly so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
*Go to sleep, Harry. We all need our rest.* Ginny sleepily grinned at him, and Draco moved back to his own bed.
"Everyone, go to sleep. We've had a long day," Severus ordered kindly. Everyone was all too happy to comply. The weary Potions master dimmed the lights, and everyone finally fell asleep.
The following morning at breakfast, after all the guests had left, Dumbledore took Harry aside. The Headmaster pulled him out of the Great Hall.
"Harry, I know you agreed to help your aunt, but I have another favor to ask you. Remember how Dudley needs to take his OWLS in about a week? Would you mind helping him study? I would be extremely grateful." Harry nodded, thinking only about his now cold breakfast.
"Sure, Professor Dumbledore, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and I would be more than happy to help." He turned and walked back to the Slytherin table. He slid back into his seat next to Draco and across from Ginny and Severus.
*Draco, Hermione, Ron? Dudley needs help with studying for the OWLS. I think we can just imprint the information we learned in his mind, so it should take about five minutes, maximum. You game?* Harry idly speared a piece of egg.
*Sure, Harry. I'll help your cousin. Who knows? Maybe he'll do better than all of us combined....* Hermione thought, sincerely hoping that he wouldn't.
Harry snickered. *Considering he was sorted into Hufflepuff, I don't think so.* Draco laughed out loud, startling Dudley and Petunia, who had just walked into the hall.
"Hey, Dudley! Over here!" Harry waved his cousin over, and really looked at him. *Hmmm. Dudley's actually lost a lot of weight. This whole magic thing could be good for him, after all.*
Dudley and Petunia sat down next to Harry and Draco, immediately tucking into breakfast. "Hey, Dudley, you are taking the OWLS in a week, right?" Dudley nodded. "Hermione, Draco, Ron, and I will help you study, the demigod way." Dudley brightened, grinning. Petunia stared at her nephew strangely.
"What is the demigod way to studying, or do I even want to know?" she asked, toying with a piece of toast.
"It's simple, really. We just take what we know and imprint it into Dudley's mind. It's almost exactly like a computer download, but no viruses." Petunia nodded, but Draco looked incredibly confused by the explanation. *What's a computer?* he asked Harry.
Harry stared at him. *That is going to take too long to explain. How about I just show you one then next time we hit Muggle London, instead?* Draco nodded.
"Oh, Aunt Petunia, which hospital do you work in?" Harry asked, changing the conversation.
"St. Bridget's in South Surrey, why? Oh wait, I have to call them. My leave of absence is almost up." she answered, looking around for a telephone. "Harry, is there a phone in here?"
"No, phones don't work here. But, I have a thought about where you're going to stay, you know, with the divorce and all; you can't go back to Privet Drive. Supposedly I own an apartment complex in South Surry that I think is within two blocks from the hospital. So, I think I'm going to go over there to check it out later on today. You want to come?"
Petunia stared at him in shock, a tear slipping down her face. "Harry, I've never been anything but horrid to you. Why are you helping us?" she sobbed, her voice wavering. She stood up abruptly, knocking over her goblet of orange juice and walked away from the table. Harry waved his hand, making the mess disappear.
"What do you mean why am I helping you? What do you expect me to do?" Harry asked, confused. He turned to Draco, who was studying him intently. "What? What did I do?"
"She is right. Why are you helping her and Dudley? They hurt you and treated you horribly, but you are helping Dudley fit into Hogwarts and now you have offered your aunt a place to live. They were ABUSIVE, Harry. Why are you helping them?" Draco buttered a piece of toast.
Harry stared at him. "I-I don't know," he finally said, staring at his plate, a wave of fury unexpectedly rushing over him. Angrily, he pushed it away from him. "The same reason I helped you, the same reason I do every fucking thing around here. BECAUSE IT'S EXPECTED OF ME!" he bellowed and ran out of the hall. Draco heard the doors the Entrance Hall slam open and shut. Severus raised his eyebrows.
"I assume you know what that was all about?" he asked his Godson.
"I have no idea, but I'm about to find out." Draco stood up, and with much less fanfare, gracefully strode from the Hall. Ginny, brows nearly in her hairline, started to stand up.
"Are you coming?" she asked Sev. Sev stood up as well, taking one last swig of pumpkin juice.
"Let's go find out what's bothering him now," he dourly said, rolling his eyes heavenward.
Harry sat in the hot spring, trying to soak away his anger. *I just don't understand. Everything is changing so rapidly, it's hard to keep up. Ron and Hermione aren't my best friends anymore, and now my archrival in school has taken their place, along with my former best friend's sister. I'm related to the same professor who has made my life hell for the last six years at the only place I can call home, and now I am paying the tuition and giving a home to the people who have beaten and starved me for my entire life. Why the fuck is everything so confusing?* Harry opened his eyes to see Draco leaning against a tree.
*Damn, that is confusing. What brought it all on?* Draco asked, stripping down to his boxers. He waved a hand, and they turned into swim trunks.
*I don't know. Damn it all to hell, I can't even be mad at you any more! This SUCKS!* Harry slid under water completely. Only a small stream of exhaled bubbles marked his location. Draco slid into the water next to him, sighing in bliss. Severus and Ginny appeared in the small clearing, her holding onto Sev's arm for dear life.
*I DON'T like apparation,* Ginny whimpered, scowling. She saw the water and gasped eyes wide. *Ohhh, that looks heavenly.* She hastily stripped down to a neatly transfigured tankini bathing suit and slid quickly into the water. Severus followed suit, snickering quietly at his newest 'niece'.
Harry sat back up, scowling. *What is this, a pool party? Who invited you all, anyway? I did want to be alone.* Draco cuffed his head.
*Dumbass, you can't ditch us. That's what it means to be a Slytherin or to hang out with Slytherins. You can't get rid of us so easily.* Severus nodded his agreement, smirking.
*Besides, Ron may not have inherited the Weaseley temper, but I have. Harold James Potter, what the HELL do you think you are trying to pull?* Ginny yelled at him, glaring. "First, you snap at everyone and now you are being rude! Knock it the fuck off!*
*GINNY, LANGUAGE!* Severus glared at her. She glared back at him, and then rolled her eyes.
*Fine, I'm sorry, Uncle Sev. I'm sorry I offended you.* She sat back, too relaxed to argue. *Harry, just talk to us. You don't need to be an ass about it.*
Harry sighed. *I haven't even figured it out myself.*
*SO TALK ALREADY!* came the heated response from the three of them.
*Why? Why should I be talking to you? Why am I agreeing to everything? Why aren't I fighting this tooth and nail? Why the hell am I just accepting that the two people who have made my life here miserable are now two of the closest people to me? Why am I just accepting that my best friends are too wrapped up in themselves to notice me? Why am I helping the two people who could have saved me from my uncle raping me?? Why am I doing this?* He leaned back, resting his head on a mossy knoll behind him.
Severus, Ginny, and Draco stared at each other. Ginny had tears in her eyes. *What did your uncle do to you?* she asked in astonishment and anger. She looked back and forth between her 'uncle' and 'brother'. *And WHY isn't anyone torturing that fat bastard right now?*
Harry looked at her tiredly. *Because I, for some God awful reason, don't want to. Even though I should hate him with every fiber of my being, I just can't. I can't hate anyone, and that's the emotion that's been fueling me for so long that I don't know what to do. I should hate Voldemort, I should hate my uncle, I should hate Lestrange, I should hate Slytherins, but I don't. Everything is fucked, and I just can't bring myself to care. Do you know that I felt nothing when I killed her? Nothing. It was like squashing a bug, and that scares me. I feel that I should be reacting and fighting these changes, but I'm not and I don't know why. I finally thought about it and it scares me. I don't know why I'm taking this so well.*
*Considering that you are currently freaking out, I don't think you are taking this well at all.* Severus leaned forward, pulling his nephew into a hug. Harry relaxed, then stiffened and backed away.
*This is what I'm talking about. Why are you hugging me, and why am I allowing it? Why do I want you to hug me? I don't get it. I'm so confused,* Harry moaned, tears leaking from his eyes. Draco sighed.
*Maybe because you really like him and want him to be your guardian?* Draco asked, shaking his head. *Stop questioning it and just go with it, Harry. Why question the first real good thing that has ever happened to you?*
*Because everything good that has happened to me has come at a price tag, or has been taken away. I finally escape my uncle, only to have to go back every summer. I make friends, but as soon as I show them the real me, they get scared and think I'm evil or a freak. I gain a godfather only to have him taken away from me before he can take me out of that house. I'm tired of it. What if you all are taken away from me? I can't take it if I lose you also.*
Severus sighed in exasperation. *Oh come here, you.* He pulled Harry into a bear hug, Draco and Ginny joining in.
*Group hug!* Ginny sniggered, and they all looked at each other, cracking up.
Harry sat there for a long time in his uncle's, soul mate's and little sister's arms. After a while they separated, still laughing. They sat in the spring for an hour, just talking.
*You know, Harry, we aren't going anywhere. We are going to be here for you, no matter what. It's going to take more than the occasional shit fit from you to drive us away, and we don't think you are an evil freak* Severus promised, smirking.
They finally left the spring, talking animatedly. Harry was much calmer. They apparated back to Hogwarts, and Harry went in search of his aunt. He found her in the library, helping Dudley work his way through a tome.
"Oh geez, Duddy, it's been ages since I took Latin in high school. Let's see. The introductory spell Mobilicus Corpus - mobile corpse- can-" Harry sat down, interrupting her.
"Aunt Petunia, those are actually spells. You say them in Latin. Anyway, ditch the book. Let's check out the Apartment complex." He pulled his astonished aunt and cousin up and dragged them to Severus, who was waiting in the corridor.
"So, how are we getting there, Uncle Sev?" Harry asked. Petunia stared worriedly at her nephew.
Severus thought a minute, enjoying the discomfort on Petunia's face. *Oh, this will be fun.* "I thought we'd, what do those Muggles do with those automobiles? Drive?" Petunia blanched at the thought of the Potions Master driving. Little children, pets, and stray chickens, beware!
"Oh no, that's all right. Isn't there a way to connect the Floo?" Petunia hastily suggested.
"No, we don't know who lives there, if anyone at all. So, we'll have to go incognito in an automobile. I'll just get the Rolls." Severus sauntered down the hall and disappeared from view.
"He has a ROLLS???" Petunia gasped.
Harry grinned. "When traveling with some of the richest wizards in the world, you travel in style."
Harry, Dudley, and Petunia walked out of the school and stared as a sleek black Rolls Royce pulled up to the gates. Severus, Draco and Ginny poked their heads out the windows.
"Hey, come on!" Ginny called, waving. Harry jogged to the car and, pulling the back door open, held it for his Aunt and cousin.
Three hours later, they returned to Hogwarts. Harry had set up his aunt in one of the townhouses. She still could not understand why Harry was helping her, and Harry didn't understand it, either, but he did it anyway. Harry and Draco, later that day, with the help of Hermione, basically downloaded five years of knowledge into Dudley's brain in five minutes flat.
Three days later, Dudley sat for his OWLS. Harry and Draco went over the questions with him afterwards, and were shocked to discover that Dudley would probably score an E or better on all his OWLS.
Petunia, when Vernon was out of the house on Privet Drive, Flooed there with the intent to pack her, Dudley's and Harry's belongings and leave. Harry went with her to help. They discovered that Vernon, in the month since they had last seen him, had completely trashed the house. Beer bottles and TV dinner trays were strewn about the floor, the garbage was overflowing, and there were rips and stains on the upholstery. Harry grimly walked upstairs after his aunt. Harry stood in the center of the hallway, unwilling to even set foot in his bedroom. He spread his arms and bellowed "PACK!" Objects began flying out of the rooms and into several boxes he had conjured. Petunia came screaming out of the bedroom, being chased by her flying cocktail dress. She watched, amazed, and everything packed itself in two minutes. Harry quickly levitated the boxes and they Flooed to her new townhouse in South Surrey to drop off the boxes.
The next week went by slowly. Petunia left Hogwarts, leaving Dudley behind with the promise to visit after work each day. Harry, Draco, Severus, Dudley, Ginny, Ron and Hermione continued to train every day. Everyone started Apparation and Animal transformations, having mastered their Elements, or, in the case of Harry, Draco, and Severus, all the elements. Ginny perfected her mind and fire control in a matter of days of training.
Harry quietly discussed with Draco, Ginny and Severus his suspicions about how she came to possess demonic abilities about two weeks after the party.
"Ginny, what did the Diary exactly do to you? Did you black out and it possess you? Or were you aware of what was happening?" he asked while they were relaxing at the spring.
Ginny frowned. "I don't like to talk about it much, mainly because no one understands and they treat me like glass. But, the first time I blacked out when the Diary possessed me. After that, I was able to regain a little more control each time. Tom wanted to kill, but I barely managed to stop him. Why?"
"I think the diary was responsible for the increase in your powers. I remember you telling Dean that it all started after the incident with the Chamber of Secrets in our second year. What do you think?" he asked Draco and Severus.
Draco had a gleam in his eye. "And I suppose you don't have the diary still?"
Harry shook his head. "I used it to free Dobby at the end of it all. Your dad has it." Harry thought for a minute. "You could summon it," he said doubtfully.
Draco thought for a moment. "Yeah, but then Dumbledore might see it. Let's do it somewhere where he won't be. How hard is it to get into Slytherin's Lair?"
"I really don't want to go back to the Chamber." Harry tried not to think about all the sweet talking Moaning Myrtle would need to allow them back in the Girl's Lavatory. Ginny caught his train of thought and laughed.
"You had to flirt with HER???" She sniggered, tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, she had the crush in ME, not the other way around. She even told me I could share her haunting ground if I died..." Harry laughed at the memory. Draco and Severus stared at him, disturbed.
"Let's go to the Chamber, then, although I really don't want to see Harry flirt with a ghost." Severus grimaced at the image.
"Hey! I don't flirt back!" Harry protested, laughing. They stood and climbed out of the spring, drying instantly. Harry, Draco, Sev and Ginny looked at each other.
"Are you three ready to try apparating, or do you want to hang onto me?" Severus asked once they were dressed.
Harry took a deep breath. *You can do this* he told himself. Draco and Ginny tensed beside him, preparing to Apparate. With a loud POP, the three of them disappeared and reappeared- inside the Girl's Lavatory on the third floor. Severus waited a heartbeat and apparated as well, following them. Thankfully, Myrtle wasn't anywhere around.
Harry opened the Chamber with a hissed "OPEN". They grimly slid down the tunnel and strode resolutely into the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, leading the way, gagged as the overpowering reek of rotting flesh filled the air. He grimly forced the air to clear and waved everyone else through. Severus strode to the center of the Chamber where the 100 foot Basilisk lay, decomposing. Severus immediately began to get samples, pulling off still viable scales for Potions ingredients.
"How come you never told us about this, Harry?" Severus asked, engrossed in his work. "Do you even know how hard Basilisk ingredients are to come by? They are almost unable to be found except for on the black market."
"I'm sorry I didn't take time out of battling for my life against this ugly thing to remember that you needed potions ingredients" Harry sarcastically replied. He picked up the fang he had used to stab the despised book and stared at it, memories rushing back to him.
"I'll take that, thank you!" Severus grabbed the fang and put it into a large jar. He shrank the jars and then, with a wave of his hand, the now stripped skeleton of the enormous serpent disappeared.
Draco stood in the center of the room and concentrated. He raised his hand, and the diary flew into it with a loud crack. For some reason, it had been restored, the hole in the center a tiny scar. Ginny took it from his hand, her fingers trembling.
"I can still feel him in there," she whispered. Harry started to take to diary from her, but Severus stopped him. "Let's see what happens," he whispered.
Ginny put the book on the ground and opened it to the center of the book. She knelt down, and put her hands over the pages. Her hands glowed a bright, swirling gold and scarlet as she concentrated. Black wisps began to emerge from her outstretched hands, and a miniature vision of Tom Riddle appeared.
"Ahhh... Ginny.... What a surprise. I didn't expect to sssssee you again....." the vision hissed.
"Hello, Tom," Ginny replied. "You look different than I remember. How did you get older?"
"Thatsss for me to know... and you to figure out..." he hissed, mocking her.
"I think not. Tom, I invoked your spirit. I ask the questions, you answer, or else I'll destroy you." Ginny raised her hand, and a spurt of flame erupted from her fingertips.
"But, Ginny... you can't make me... you aren't sssstrong enough."
"Do you really want to test that?" Ginny hissed back, her eyes turning black with a red fire behind then. Harry, Draco and Sev put their hands on her shoulders, flaring their auras.
"She isn't alone, Tom. She has usssss," Harry ended in a hiss. The vision stared at the four of them and began to talk, tripping over syllables in an effort to get the words out as fast as possible.
"The diary is Clautius's way for his chosen followers to gain even more power than they already had. It links the person's soul to the diary, and thereby, a demon. The demon becomes a part of the person, and the person absorbs the demon. What else do you want to know?" the vision rushed.
"How come you are older?" Draco asked.
"I appear to be as old as the last time I wrote in the diary. The last time I wrote was a week ago." Ginny sat back, releasing the spirit. It sank back into the pages, defeated.
"So Voldemort has his demonic powers back. That's good to know." Severus said thoughtfully, staring at the pages.
"That's ok, we can take him," Harry smirked. Draco smirked and nodded.
Ginny conjured an easy chair and sat down wearily. They each conjured a chair and sat, discussing strategy and how best to deal with this problem. After almost a half an hour, they decided to go back up to the school.
"You know, Harry this would make a really cool meeting place and Lab," Sev said thoughtfully, "if it were set up right. How do you open the sink again?"
Harry spent the entire return trip up teaching the three of them Parseltongue.
Two weeks before school started, five official looking owls flew into Hogwart's Great Hall at Lunchtime. The OWLS had arrived! Harry and Draco ripped open their letters and eagerly scanned their results.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. *Oh WOW!* he thought happily. *These are better than I thought!*
OWLS RESULTS FOR HAROLD JAMES POTTER
Astronomy E, A
Care of Magical Creatures O, O
Charms O, O
Defense Against Dark Arts O, O
Divination E, A
History of Magic E, E
Potions O, O
Transfiguration O, O
Possible careers: Auror, Professor, Minister of Magic, Healer
Harry stole a look at Draco's results after Ginny stole his from his hand. She and Severus were studying his results happily.
OWLS RESULTS FOR DRACONIS ANGELUS MALFOY
Astronomy O, O
Ancient Runes E, O
Care of Magical Creatures E, E
Charms O, O
Defense Against Dark Arts O, O
History of Magic O, E
Potions O, O
Transfiguration O, O
Possible Career Choices: Healer, Auror, Potions Master, Professor
"Damn, really good. Two more Os than I got. I would have gotten an O in Divination, but Voldemort just had to send me that nice little vision right in the middle of it." Harry griped, eating a turkey sandwich.
"You're just mad that I got better grades than you, Potter," Draco mock sneered, laughing. Harry smirked back at him, agreeing with his observation.
"Oh shut up, you both did wonderfully. Let's see what Dudley got. I bet Hermione got a perfect score, as usual." Ginny dragged Harry and Draco over to the Gryffindor table, where Dudley was talking amiably with Hermione and Ron.
"Hey, Dudley, how did you do?" Harry asked. Dudley grinned.
"Really well! I got the best grades I've every gotten in my life! Four Os, and ten Es! Thanks for your help, Harry, Draco!"
"Hey, Harry, Guess what? I got a perfect score! Isn't that great?" Hermione beamed, ecstatic.
*Told ya, perfect score. Now she's gonna rub that in our faces until the second coming!* Ginny groaned, mentally laughing. Harry and Draco mentally agreed with her, careful not to let their expressions change.
"SO, what are you going to take next year?" Harry asked, changing the subject. Draco and Hermione brightened, anxious to start the new school year. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in unison.
"I want to continue Ancient Runes, start Languages of Power and Spellwriting, Advanced Newts Level Potions, and Advanced Newts Level Care of Magical Creatures. The rest I really don't want to take. They're going to be so boring with all the wandless magic we've learned. Transfiguration and Charms will be a snap, literally." Draco drawled, smirking.
Hermione glared at him. "How can you say that? They still have loads to teach us and-" Harry cut her off impatiently.
"He's right, 'Mione. We all can just will stuff into being. There's no point to trying to transfigure something when we can create it out of thin air." Hermione closed her mouth with a snap, then nodded reluctantly.
"You are right, I didn't think of it that way. We are way to advanced for that stuff. But, Spellwriting sounds like fun. Harry, what are you going to take?"
"Same as Draco. It'll make things a lot easier for studying and tests. But, I heard that Uncle Sev is going to have and Experimental Potions class, to create new potions and improve old ones. That sounds like fun." Harry made a face. "I hope he changes his mind about it only being open to seventh years."
Ron stared at him incredulously. "I thought you hated Potions," he accused.
Harry shrugged. "Not really, since being so closely bonded with Draco, I'm able to concentrate more. I find it pretty cool, actually." Draco smirked.
*I know I'm such a grounding presence,* he teased.
*If you're so grounding, then how come I'm earth and you're supposed to be the airhead?* Harry teased back. Draco pouted.
Ron stared at them, still disgusted with Harry's choices.
Ginny swung her arms around Harry and Draco's necks. "So, you two going to help me with my classes?" she asked playfully. Harry swung her up into his arms, much to Ron's dismay.
"Sure, sis, anything. Oh you might want to take Runes. Divination was just a joke, and I've heard that Arithmancy is pretty nice as well." Ginny squealed as he swung her around. The three of them strode from the hall, laughing. Ron and Hermione stared after them, confused and sad.
"''Mione, when did we lose them both?" Ron asked, staring forlornly after his former best friend and his little sister.
Four days later, Petunia requested that Harry and Dudley visit the townhouse. She was most secretive about why, refusing to say a word to either of them about what was going on.
They arrived through the Floo, and Petunia showed them into the dining room. There at the table, was a man with a huge stack of papers in front of him.
"Boys, this is Mr. Adams, Mr. Adams, this is my son and nephew. Dudley, Harry, he's my divorce lawyer. We are drawing up the paperwork, and we need you to sign the documents as to where you want to live, since you both are of the age to choose." Dudley took a pen from his mother's hand, frowning.
"I guess there's no point in even debating this topic. Dad hates me." Dudley signed the paper after filling out the required areas.
Aunt Petunia, I need Uncle Severus to come here. He is supposed to be my legal guardian, and I would like you two to share that responsibility." Petunia nodded, and a minute later, Severus walked into the room.
"Harry, what's going on?" Se asked. Harry handed him the papers and he read them frowning at the legal jargon. "So, why am I here, then? This seems as straightforward as it can get." He handed the papers back to Harry.
"My mum said in her will that you're my guardian. I want you to fulfill that role, along with Aunt Petunia. If you sign the documents, you will assume that responsibility." Severus snatched the papers and signed on the dotted line, smirking. Harry signed as well, documenting his consent.
Mr. Adams took the papers back and set them in his briefcase. "Now that that's over with, thank you for your time, gentlemen." Harry and Severus flooed back to Hogwarts. Dudley, in a show of support for his mum, stayed behind.
Five days before school started, everyone trooped into Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies. Harry, Ginny, Severus and Draco stared, amazed at how quickly everything had been rebuilt and returned to normal.
*It's like nothing ever happened here,* Ginny remarked in wonder, staring at Flourish and Blotts, which had been almost completely destroyed by fire and their magic. They quickly got their books and paid for them, not really wanting to hang around any longer than they had to. Ron and Hermione had disappeared the minute they had stepped from the Floo, mumbling something about needing school supplies. Harry suspected that they had found an isolated place to snog without interruptions.
Harry and Draco snuck into Knockturn Alley, determined to find Potions ingredients for the Experimental Potions class. Ginny followed them, having nothing better to do. Dudley sat in the Leaky Cauldron with ten Galleons, determined to sample every type of liquor Tom had in stock.
Harry, Ginny and Draco strode into an Apocathary Store, just browsing. They suddenly heard a familiar voice. Harry shrouded them in an invisibility spell, and they saw Pansy, her father, Theodore Nott, and his father come out of the back.
"Theo, you had better find a way to hide the Mark better than you did last year," Pansy whined in her high pitched, nasal voice. Draco shuddered.
"Pans, relax. No one will find out." Theodore slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the lips. Draco gagged silently, feeling the bile rise in his throat.
*How can he even stand touching her? That is so GROSS!*
Harry, Draco and Ginny apparated out of the store before they were discovered. They hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron, thoroughly disgusted and done with shopping. They checked in with Severus, and told him what they had seen before apparating back to right outside the wards. They walked back to the castle in silence.
On the afternoon of September First, Harry, Draco, and Ginny waited anxiously at their tables, certain that their friends were about to arrive. Dudley sat at his Hufflepuff table nervously. Sure enough, the second through seventh years bounded through the doors of the Great Hall, laughing and catching up from a summer apart. Luna rushed over to Ginny, and they hugged, laughing.
Neville, Dean, and Seamus walked to Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry and Ron, the latter ignoring the former. Hermione sat in between them, preparing herself for World War Three. At the Teacher's table, Dumbledore stood, and raised his hand, gesturing for silence. Right next to him, sat a smiling, well dressed Remus Lupin who had returned as the DADA Professor. On the other side of Dumbledore sat Professor Snape, who in his traditional nasty person role, glared at everyone. Gradually the Great Hall quieted, and Professor McGonagall led a group of first years, followed by nine older students, ranging from third to sixth years, from the looks of them. She led them to the front of the Hall, and the Sorting Hal began to sing.
Oh I'm the Sorting Hat,
That much you can't deny
I may not be so pretty
but sort you I shall try.
I could sort you into Gryffindor
where dwell the brave of heart
When going into danger
from your side they'll not depart
Or maybe into Hufflepuff
you'll truly find your spot
A tried, true friend you'll always have
within this loyal lot
Ravenclaw would be the best
for those of lightning mind
where intellect and knowledge
you know you'll always find
Or perhaps into Slytherin
you'll find it suits you best
with razor wit and cunning
you'll sneak on by the rest
I split you into houses
but you must work together
an evil comes, far greater
than, separate, you can weather
Voldemort is just a pawn,
his master is true evil
you must put aside your differences
to fight the forces of the Devil
Our powerful new allies
have come to play their parts
the Demigods of Heaven
have fin'lly come to Hogwarts
With Dragons, Elves, and Veela
The Vampires are coming, too
we all must fight together
or else we all are through
So as I sort you into Houses,
remember we are one
We all must work together
or Hell's forces will have won.
The students stared at each other, some in fear, and others searching the Hall for the Demigods the Hat spoke of. No one made a sound. The teachers looked at each other worriedly.
Dumbledore raised his voice, echoing off the already silent Hall. "This year, we have an unusual occurrence. Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter's cousin, has joined us this year. He has already been sorted into Hufflepuff, and will be starting his sixth year. Please stand, Dudley." Dudley stood shyly, and the entire Hall was filled with applause. He sat down, blushing.
Dumbledore continued, clearing his throat. "Also, we have nine transfer students to be sorted, and twenty first years." He sat down and nodded to Professor McGonagall, who opened her scroll and started to read, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.
"Damien..... DAMIEN!" A tall, strawberry blond teenage boy strode to sit on the stool, smirking.
"RAVENCLAW, 5th year!" shouted the Hat.
"Gabrielle!" A smaller, willowy raven haired girl sat on the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 4th year!"
"Gaila!" A cute, pixyish teenage girl sat down.
"GRYFFINDOR, 6th year!"
"George, Emily!" A tall, curvy redhead sauntered up.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Michael!" A tall, extremely sexy, dark haired teen swaggered up to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Nicholai!" A dark haired, Russian boy sat on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF, 5th year!"
"Olivia!" A tall, pretty blond sat on the stool
"GRYFFINDOR, 6th year!"
"Raphael!" A tall, hot, Latino guy walked up to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN, 6th year!"
"Rowan!" A tall blond girl swept up the isle.
"RAVENCLAW, 4th year!"
Once the transfer students had sat down, finished, Professor McGonagall started to call the First Years one by one.
"Andrews, Erin!" A small blond crept to the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Bones, James!" Susan Bones's younger brother sat down on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Botts, Lawrence!" A dark haired boy suspiciously eyed the Hat as it was placed on his head.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Davids, Griffin!" A sandy blond youth smirked at the Hat before slipping it on.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Finnigan, Kelly!" Seamus's little sister smirked as she sat down.
"SLYTHIERIN!"
"Finnigan, Sean!" Her twin brother shook his head at her, then sat down himself.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Hicks, Julie!" A scared little redhead shyly sat down and closed her eyes.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Hocter, William!" A boy of medium build strode to the stool and planted the hat firmly on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Jones, Erika!" A smart looking girl with glasses sat down nervously.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Kelly, Bridget!" A flaming redhead with icy blue eyes smirked as she sat.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Lupa, Argonne!" a beautiful waif with silver hair strode to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Malfoy, Crystal!" A pretty strawberry blond sat down, a disinterested look on her face.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Malfoy, Veronica!" A brunette took her place.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"O'Brian, Kevin!" A sandy blond boy shrugged and sat down on the stool.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise and fear as she read the next name, and she turned as white as the parchment in her hand. "Potter.... James." Harry's head shot up and he stared at the black haired boy who sauntered up to the stool. Severus's and Remus's heads shot up as well, an they both turned white. Remus started to cry softly, and Severus searched the last bunch of First Years. He gasped, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Hey, Minerva- oops, I mean Professor McGonagall. So sorry. Hey, HAT! How's it going?" He sat on the stool.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, you know where you're going. Ever the GRYFFINDOR!" Harry stared at the smirking boy, and then focused on the petite redhead with green eyes who was staring at him, love in her eyes. He turned to Alanna and Xander seated at the end of the Teacher's table. They nodded at him slowly, grinning insanely. Harry stared, wide eyed, and started to cry.
James sat down next to his son. They looked at each other, tears falling freely down their faces. The rest of the students stared at them, completely confused.
McGonagall stared at the parchment. "Potter, Lily Evans..." she managed to gasp before falling to the floor in a dead faint. Lily sauntered up.
"Aww, and I wanted to tease her! Hey, Hat! What's up?" She sat on the stool and plopped the hat on her head.
"Hello again, Mrs. Potter. Are you ready to finally go into the house where you belong? You sweet talked me once, but you discovered that you were unhappy." Lily nodded firmly. "All right, SLYTHERIN!" Grinning, Lily hopped off the stool. She strode over to the Gryffindor table and pulled her husband and son by their arms out of their seats. Lily and James grew, in the blink of an eye, from the eleven year olds they had appeared to be to Severus's age as they ran out of the Great Hall together, slamming the doors open with a bang. Severus and Remus, at Alanna's nod, rushed from their seats, sprinting after them. They stood a few feet from the doorway, hugging and crying in plain view of the astounded students.
Ginny and Draco nodded to each other and stood, grinning. They walked from their tables and, slinging their arms around each others' shoulders, strolled out of the Hall. They turned, and, grinning at each other, pulled the doors shut behind them.
"MUM!!! DAD!!!!"