Author's Note: Hey wonderful people! I'm sorry about the late update, but I really tried! Ff.net was down yesterday, at least for me! Look, I know a lot of people are very upset because I took away Harry's powers. Please look at my review response to Alex20 for a bit of an explanation. I hope you can all just trust that I know what I'm doing and that every move I make, including this one, is because I think it would be best for the story. Besides, since this fic is taking place all in the summer, you wouldn't be able to see much of Harry's magic anyways, other than some perhaps necessary rule breaking. Anyways, if the only reason you liked R.T. was because of Harry's powers, then you probably won't enjoy this story, though I'll be sad to see you go. Otherwise, I hope you'll stick with this story and trust me.
Now for my famous tales from real life. I have this chemistry teacher who reminds me incredibly of Snape! Today, he told this kid, David, that he checked to make sure David didn't have any siblings. He said, "I guess when your parents saw how you turned out, they decided not to have anymore kids." Ouch. Usually I think he's sort of funny, just because he reminds me so much of a certain Potions master, but today he was in an especially foul mood. It was fun. The other day, he told us we were all destined to be homeless beggars and that we should start working on making signs. I thought it was so hilarious! I wanted to turn a cardboard sign in for extra credit but I was slightly worried for my life. Oh well, maybe next time.
Thank you so much to Senri, who beta-ed last chapter and this one. Getting rid of all my typos and helping me figure out all the technical junk like if transfiguration should be capitalized if not referring to the class (it's not, just for those who are wondering). You rock, even though you kept this last chapter for way to friggin' long! Oh well, people can blame you for this chapter's lateness I guess. And "gah" is not your word.
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Though he and Eloise had been writing each other during the summer, Harry had been a bit surprised that Eloise actually did invite him over. It turned out that she was indeed going to plan out his and Neville's futures where their love lives were concerned.
A few days after going back to Hogwarts, Harry stumbled out of the fireplace into a small, but well-decorated living room. It was very neat with framed family photographs on every flat surface and hung on all the walls. Eloise was an only child, and it was obvious her parents adored her.
"Harry!" she said with delight as she walked into the room.
"Hey Eloise," Harry said cheerfully. Behind him, the flames flared up green and Neville fell out of the fireplace onto the floor. He grinned sheepishly as Harry helped him up.
"Don't worry, I do that every time," Harry assured him.
The two chatted about their summers so far as they walked into the kitchen to grab fudge ice-pops. Eloise's parents rose from the table and shook the hands of each boy as they made introductions.
"So what are you three going to do today?" Mrs. Midgen asked excitedly. Harry had the suspicion that he and Neville might have been the first to ever be invited to the house by Eloise.
"We're having talks about their future love lives," Eloise said merrily. "I'm helping them plan it out since Harry doesn't even know how he's going to tell his future wife that he fancies her!"
Harry's face grew hot. "I do not fancy Ginny. She's a friend," he insisted. Everyone in the kitchen, including Eloise's parents, rolled their eyes.
"That's what I used to say about Nathalie. That would be Mrs. Midgen," he clarified. "Well, that was after awhile, of course, because when we met, we weren't even close to being friends."
"Why not?" Neville asked interestedly. Mr. Midgen got up and grabbed a plate of brownies and setting them on the table.
"Well, if you two would like to hear the story, go ahead and take a seat and have some brownies," he said cheerfully.
The boys eagerly sat down at the table and took a brownie, preparing for the story.
"Well, we met in Hogwarts. Nathalie was a Hufflepuff and I was a Ravenclaw. We saw each other in the halls and were in a few classes together, but we never really noticed each other. Then, one day, we were put in detention together. We had to scrub the dungeons together."
"He was in detention for eating in class," Mrs. Midgen said with a grin, looking fondly at her husband. "He was so proud, thinking he was so rebellious."
"And then she told me she was in for punching somebody in the face for insulting her friend. Hufflepuffs are very loyal, you know. Anyways, some time during that detention, I fell in love with her, though I didn't know it at the time."
"We became great friends," Mrs. Midgen picked back up. "We told each other practically everything."
"But then the ball happened. And the most popular boy in school asked her to go with him."
"It was the greatest shock of my life. I was quite unpopular and his invitation was such a surprise. I was so excited and talked of nothing else the entire week before. I didn't even notice until the last second that Orion, Mr. Midgen, hadn't asked anyone and wasn't planning anything. In fact, he had looked down the entire week, but I hadn't really noticed. And then, it was the night of the ball. He told me I looked beautiful and then just went back to his common room to study. And I went to the spot where I was supposed to meet my date. I waited for half an hour before I realized he wasn't coming."
Harry and Neville gaped at her.
"He stood you up?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Yes. And I was devastated. I went down to the ball and saw him with some popular girl, laughing about his joke of inviting me. Of course, I ran to Orion for a shoulder to cry on, but he wouldn't let my night be ruined. He ran up to his dorms and changed into his dress robes in a flash and insisted on being my date for the night. I fell in love with him right there," she said wistfully.
"Let's get out of here before they get even sappier," Eloise whispered from behind them in a grossed-out tone, though Harry could see that she adored that story.
Neville and Harry rose, thanking them for the brownies and followed Eloise out to her backyard. She handed them each a fudge ice-pop as the three of them sat down on her porch steps.
"You don't know how many times I've heard that story. It's so romantic," she said. "But I must say my mum was so thrilled that you actually showed up when you asked me to the ball, Harry. I think it was all too familiar to her."
"I can't believe what that bloke did to your mum," Neville said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, well people can be surprisingly mean sometimes," she said all too knowingly. Harry looked at her sympathetically, remembering all the mean things Malfoy had said to her along with those bullying girls the night of the ball.
"Well," Harry said, changing the subject, "I can see where you get your obsession with romance from."
Eloise grinned at him.
"Speaking of which…" she said pulling out a small notepad and a quill. "Time to plan some futures."
Harry groaned and Neville looked slightly afraid.
"Alright, I'm just going to ask you two a few questions," she said in a professional tone, flipping open the notepad. "Do you like warm weather or cold?"
"Ummm...warm I guess," said Harry warily.
"Erm…probably cold, as long as I have the right clothes," answered Neville.
"If there was one place you could visit outside of England, where would it be?"
"Oh, definitely Italy," Neville answered confidently. Eloise looked at him excitedly.
"Oh me too! I've always wanted to go there!" she said, writing something down. "Good choice, Neville. Okay, what about you, Harry?"
"I don't know. I've never been outside of England so it would be pretty hard to narrow it down," Harry said with a shrug. Eloise tapped her chin thoughtfully before writing something down with a nod.
"Do you guys like being only children?" she asked. Both boys looked at her oddly, wondering if she was planning on making siblings appear for them in the future. "Well?" she asked.
"I guess not. I always thought it would be nice to be in the family like the Weasleys," Harry said shyly, not ever have admitted that before.
"Yeah, same here, I guess," said Neville thoughtfully, "but not with as many siblings as the Weasleys. More like one or two others."
"Okay, I think I'm about done, but Neville, have you thought of your wife yet?" she asked seriously.
Neville blushed and Harry chuckled. "Minor detail," Harry commented with amusement, licking the last of his ice-pop off the stick.
"Oh, well, no…not really," Neville said in an odd tone.
Harry looked at him curiously. Eloise grinned.
"Oh, yes you have, I can tell! Oh, who is it, Neville?" she asked eagerly. Neville blushed furiously.
"Really, I haven't thought of anyone. I don't know yet." He was nearly as bad of a liar as Harry was.
"Alright, alright, it can be your secret for now," Eloise said in surrender.
"How about Cindy Valentina?" Harry suggested. The name belonged to a famous witch model, who often had photos in the same magazines that spread Harry's private life out for the whole world to see.
Neville laughed. "Yeah, put her down as my wife, Eloise. We're perfect for each other," he joked. Eloise chuckled and wrote the name down.
"Hey, you never know, Nev. I mean, I used to think Roger Davies was a fantasy, but we've been writing each other a lot this summer."
"Do you think he fancies you?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure. These sorts of things are harder to tell when you're involved in them," she said wisely, finishing her writing. "Done," she announced proudly, handing each of them the outline of their futures.
"You named our kids?" Harry asked in amusement.
Eloise nodded proudly.
"And I have one named Eloise?" he asked.
"Yes. It's in honor of me, since I'm the one that planned your future. I'll also be your wedding planner, just like my mum, and one of the bridesmaids, as you can see there. Your other kids are rather close in age, but Eloise is a bit younger. She's the cute one. I've coordinated it so Neville's youngest son will be born around the same time so they can be friends. You can also work with Ron and Hermione to coordinate it," she said matter-of-factly. "I'll make sure to have a kid around the same time as well with Roger."
Harry and Neville stared at her, slightly worried for their friend's sanity.
"Wait, your mum's a wedding planner?" Harry asked.
Eloise nodded.
"That explains so much."
"I'm having a summer house in Ireland?" Neville asked as he looked over the outline.
"Yup, they have some very exotic plants at certain spots there, if you know where to look, and since you like Herbology so much, I thought it would be a nice get-away," she explained.
"Wedding at a church during the winter while it's snowing outside. Honeymoon in Italy. Eloise as wedding planner and bridesmaid or maid of honor, Harry as groomsman or best man. Three kids; a girl and two boys, named Emily, Nicholas, and Vernon," Neville read off.
"Ugh, change the name of your last boy. I'm not good with the name Vernon," Harry said in disgust.
"How about Connor?" Eloise suggested.
"Much better," Harry said in relief as Eloise made the change before handing it back to Neville.
"So, what do you think?" she asked.
Neville and Harry reluctantly nodded in approval, not wanting to give Eloise too much encouragement in fear of what she would try to plan next.
"Except Ginny and I are…"
"Just friends," Eloise and Neville finished for him with a roll of the eyes.
"Sure, Harry," Eloise said sarcastically.
"Friends with benefits," Neville quipped. Harry made an indignant face.
"Neville!" he scolded as Eloise cracked up.
"You are in such bad denial," Neville said sympathetically.
"Sorry, Harry, but friends don't look at each other like you two do," Eloise said with a shrug. "Once you've figured out that you fancy her we'll work on marriage proposals since I don't think it's easy to fit 'but we're just friends' into a decent one."
Harry glared at her but the other two just laughed.
*
"Are you sure, Harry?" Ginny asked warily as Harry handed her his Firebolt. The three Weasley boys were already flying around, tossing apples to each other.
"Of course," he said taking her Cleansweep 5. "You'll do fine."
Ginny smiled excitedly and straddled the Firebolt before kicking off into the air. Harry followed right after.
"Wow, it's so wonderful. It moves so fluidly," she said in awe, taking a few spins on the broom.
Harry grinned at Ginny's obvious delight. She flew in circles around Harry, horizontal at first, and then vertical ones.
"Hey Gin," George called from above, "check out how well it dives!" He said in admiration of the wonderful broom. He tossed an apple down and Ginny made a dive for it.
As she got closer and closer to the ground, Harry really hoped she'd pull up soon, or figure out that the broom was a lot harder to pull up out of a dive than it was to go into one. It was characteristic of the model, something that had supposedly been fixed in the Lightningstrike, but he wasn't sure if Ginny knew that.
Apparently she didn't. She tried to pull out of the dive at the last second, after just catching the apple, but didn't pull up hard enough. The impact was slowed, but the broom collided with the ground, sending Ginny flying onto her back.
Harry immediately dove down and dismounted quickly, racing over to Ginny, who sat up with a groan.
"Ginny! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, kneeling down beside her. She ignored the question and looked past him. She covered her mouth with a hand and her face grew bright red.
"Your broom," she whispered in horror. Harry looked around to see Fred, George and Ron with their mouths hung open, holding the Firebolt, which had snapped in half. Harry winced at the sight, but shrugged it off, turning back to Ginny.
"Don't worry about it. Now are you alright?"
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz," she said, clearly mortified.
Something about the way she looked made Harry smile. She had a streak of mud across the side of her forehead and she looked so worried. With a lopsided grin, he wiped away the mud with his sleeve.
"Hey, the ground's a pretty big thing. It's really just asking you to hit it," he said with a shrug. Ginny blinked in surprise and looked into his eyes. Somehow, she couldn't help from smiling either. The two chuckled softly. "Now, really, are you hurt?"
"Umm…I think I'm fine," she said. Harry helped her to her feet, but as she put her weight on her right foot, she yelped. "Okay, so the ankle's not great," she said with a wince.
"Okay, well, once we get back over this hill, we can get you on a broom, but for now, I'll have to give you a piggy-back ride," he said. Ginny bit her bottom lip and shook her head with a smile.
"You know, I really think you're mad Harry," she said as she climbed onto Harry's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he hooked his arms under her legs, hoisting her up. He couldn't comfortably hold Ginny's broom, so he decided just to carry her all the way back. Once over the hill, the Burrow wasn't far at all.
He looked back at the three Weasley boys who were looking at him as if he had gone insane.
"Harry, your broom is in two pieces," George said slowly holding up said parts.
"The broom you prize with your life," Fred clarified.
"You know, the one that when we were riding it, you said you'd kill us if we scratched it," Ron said.
"I was just kidding. It was just an accident," he said nonchalantly. "Besides, I think Sirius might have an old one lying around somewhere. It would be from the 70s. A classic," he said cheerily. "Well, we're heading back to see about Ginny's ankle. See you guys later."
He began walking up the hill, trying to get Ginny to stop feeling bad by cracking jokes.
Fred, George, and Ron watched them go, still slightly stunned.
"Okay, I really thought this big brother thing would be more difficult. Aren't we supposed to be beating off bastard blokes from Ginny?" Fred said, shaking his head.
"How is Harry not upset about his Firebolt?" Ron asked incredulously. "Sirius told Harry he wouldn't replace it if Harry broke it. He made that clear to try to get Harry to stop doing risky tricks on it. Harry loves that broom!"
"Love will make you do some crazy things. Obviously, he's fallen for our baby sister," George said. "They grow up so fast," he said with a fake sob into Fred's shoulder, who patted him on the head with exaggerated reassurance.
"He sure makes the protective older brother bit a lot easier," Fred said.
"Well, I'd like to take credit for all this, thank you," Ron said haughtily. "I did choose him as my friend after all. I must have subconsciously had Ginny's future boyfriend potential in mind."
He was then pelted with apples.
"You know, I should really just employ you as my servant. Then you can carry me around to all my classes," Ginny said, relishing the warmth of Harry's body.
"Yeah, what's in it for me?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Why, the very honor of being my man-slave, of course!" she said, hoping that didn't sound too awkward. Harry laughed.
"Sure, but then Hermione would set up an organization for the welfare of…well…me, and you'd be her prime target," he said with a great sigh.
"Aw bugger, it's too frightening being on Hermione's bad side. I guess it won't work out then. I'm so sorry you're going to have to be deprived of that honor."
"I'll somehow survive, probably with a lot of therapy," he said dramatically. They both chuckled.
"Harry, I'm really sorry about your broom," Ginny said seriously. "It was really stupid of me to try that dive."
"Don't worry about it. I forgot to tell you that it's hard to pull out of one. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt worse."
"I'll pay for it. Really, I will. Just give me a little time and…." she started.
"Don't be ridiculous. If I went around paying for everything I damaged, I'd be in big trouble. During Christmas hols, when I was at the Stensons, Kota asked me to put bottle of nail polish remover away for her but I dropped it and it ate a hole through her carpet. I also broke one of her CDs," he said. He actually had bought Kota a new CD to replace it, but figured that Ginny didn't need to know that. "Oh, and the best was when I was sitting on her staircase and I grabbed onto one of the little wood poles in her railing and it came out in my hand. We sort of just wedged it back in there, but if you rattle the banister, it falls out."
"Really?" she asked, sounding a bit more relieved.
"Really," he said with a smile. "I'm glad to know I have a follower of my klutzy ways."
Ginny found herself discretely smelling Harry's hair. She felt a little bizarre doing it, but her face was so close to it and it smelled so wonderful. She couldn't identify it, but knew that the smell was distinctly Harry's, which was what made it even more amazing.
"Hey Gin? Do you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked curiously, hoping to maybe get some ideas. Ginny quickly pulled her nose out of Harry's dark locks as he turned his head to look at her.
"Well, I've always wanted to try everything," she said with a grin.
"Oh, well that'll be easy then," Harry chuckled.
"What I mean is that I don't want to do something that I start with right out of school and do until I retire. It's great for some people, but I've always wanted to be one of those old folks who can always tell stories about my various jobs: the worst ones, the best ones, the kookiest ones," she said with a dreamy grin that could only make Harry smile as well.
"Such as?" Harry prompted.
"Well, you can't tell anyone, especially my mum, but I've always wanted to work as…" she put her mouth near his ears and in a conspiring whisper said, "…a bartender."
"A bartender?" Harry asked with a laugh.
"Oh yeah. In some small pub, where you get your crazy regulars and rowdy crowds after Quidditch games. And I'd be able to mix any drink with ease and listen to everyone's problems and dish out my wise advice that people will follow and help them with their problems. Bartenders can change lives, Harry."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the mental picture of him telling McGonagall and Dumbledore that the Boy Who Lived's great aspiration was to become a bartender.
Harry carried Ginny all the way to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley saw them come up and after being assured that Ginny was alright, she went about healing her daughter's ankle while sneaking looks at Harry, who in turn kept sneaking glances at Ginny.
That night after dinner, she couldn't help but give him an extra big slice of the homemade pie she had made for desert, imagining little children with bright green eyes and red hair.
*
It was nearly midnight at the Burrow, and the twins had just finished going over some financials for their shop. Yawning, they trekked downstairs for a cup of tea before going to sleep.
When they reached the bottom floor, however, the kitchen door was closed and light shone through the crack underneath. Apparently, they weren't the only ones up for a late night cup of tea.
They were about to open the door, but froze when they heard their parents conversing in serious tones inside. They pressed their ears to the door as they heard Harry's name mentioned.
"… believe that that horrid man hit him in the station! How could someone do that to a child? Especially one they've looked after for so long! They should have been like Harry's parents, but they were just awful to him! And Harry's such a dear, it just makes me want to strangle that man," Mrs. Weasley huffed. There was a lot of shuffling noises and the twins suspected that the woman was pacing the room, rearranging small things as she often did when she was angry.
"I've been meaning to tell you something about that, Molly," Mr. Weasley said with a sad sigh. "It seems that Harry hasn't really let on to everything about his relatives."
Fred and George exchanged a look. This didn't sound good.
"Remember right after Harry died, I went to his house?" their dad continued. "Well, I found out some really disturbing things. Harry's aunt and uncle were there and they didn't even care that he had died."
"What? Oh, those awful people!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. Mr. Weasley quickly shushed her.
"Shh, Molly, the kids can never hear about this alright? I think Ron knows a bit about it, but just in case, it would be best not to mention much of this to him either" he said seriously.
The twins looked at each other with slightly guilty looks, trying to silently ask each other if they should leave.
"But they already know, probably better than us, that Harry didn't get along with his relatives," their mum said confusedly.
"It was much worse than we could have ever imagined."
Fred and George knew they couldn't leave now.
"What do you mean?"
"Molly, when the boys picked Harry up that summer, that was one of the only summers he's had an actual room. Until he got his Hogwarts letter, they kept him locked in this cupboard under the stairs. And they put him back in there over Christmas and when he went back during the attack at Hogwarts."
"They did WHAT?" Molly screamed. Arthur shushed her again. Fred and George exchanged an angry look.
"There's more. Harry…Harry was abused, Molly, physically abused, especially this last summer. That's why he was at the Stensons. Rick said they found bruises all over him, and handshaped marks on his neck. And not just recent ones, old ones as well, like it had been going on for awhile," Mr. Weasley said sadly.
He was met with stunned a silence. Fred and George were frozen in horrified shock.
"That's what the tension between the Stensons and Harry's uncle was all about when the Stensons took Harry over Christmas. But, from what Rick told me, the Dursleys found out that Harry was staying with them and showed up at their house and put a gun, that's a Muggle thing for killing people, to his head and took him from the house. Somehow the Muggle law-enforcement got mixed up and wouldn't let the Stensons near Harry. I talked with Severus and Albus and apparently, over that time Harry's uncle beat him up so badly, he broke his ribs and was thrown through a glass table. Severus was the first one to find out. Thank Merlin that he noticed something because Harry went days without going to the Hospital Wing. Severus wouldn't say much, but he healed Harry up all right. Apparently this stuff has been going to a lesser degree since Harry was a kid."
"Oh no. No, no, no," Mrs. Weasley whispered, clearly upset. "Not Harry. Not him."
Mr. Weasley took a deep breath and continued. "And you know how Harry was sent home during the attack on Hogwarts? Well his uncle lost his job and very nearly killed Harry. He stabbed him in the stomach. Luckily Severus showed up and stopped Dursley from doing any more damage, and brought Harry back to Hogwarts. He had lost so much blood, he almost didn't make it."
Mrs. Weasley began to get hysterical, wanting to go over to the Lighthouse that minute to see Harry.
"Molly, please, you'll wake the kids. And don't make a big deal about this to Harry. You don't understand how devastated he was to find out that I knew and was going to tell you."
"But why?" she cried. "Why didn't he tell us? Why did he keep this all to himself? Didn't he trust us?"
"Harry thinks of our family as his, but I don't think he trusts anyone completely. How could he after being treated like he has all his life? I'm surprised he's turned out as good as he has, but he's got to have some issues about this that he might not even realize himself," Mr. Weasley said in a mixture of sadness and anger.
"Oh gods, Ron said that Harry believed that nobody would care if he died, that's why he took that illness from Rick Stenson. No wonder he would think that if his own family treated him like that. Arthur, let's adopt him. We can show him what a family is really like and…"
"Molly, Harry has Sirius now. He needs to be with his godfather. Besides, the Dursleys can't hurt him anymore."
"Oh Arthur, how could anyone do this? Why didn't we notice?"
"Harry must have been good at hiding it. We weren't the only ones who couldn't see it. When that boy wants to keep a secret, he does. He kept the fact that he was dying from us for months. Everyone's just going to have to be on the lookout to make sure he doesn't continue doing so."
"Maybe we should have a talk with him," Mrs. Weasley suggested tearfully.
"It's not our place, Molly. Sirius is his godfather and I'm sure he's been giving Harry enough talks to last him a lifetime. Plus, Remus is always over there and he and Harry were pretty close when Remus was a professor. I'm sure he's been working on it as well. We don't want Harry to feel like he has nowhere to go without a break from adults lecturing him," Mr. Weasley said practically.
"I don't know, Arthur. Sirius is a bit like a giant kid sometimes…."
The two began to gently argue over their roles in Harry's life as Fred and George snuck away.
Neither could think of anything to say. Both were stunned and furious at the same time. Harry was like their little brother and to think of his own family hurting him was too much.
The two walked straight past their room and continued up the stairs, as if reading each other's mind. They marched straight up to the top floor and into Ron's room. Fred shook him awake.
"Mmm?" Ron moaned sleepily. "Whassamatta?" he asked tiredly as he rubbed his eyes.
"Ron, sit up, we have something important to talk to you about," George said, sitting on the edge of Ron's bed. The younger redhead yawned and obeyed.
"What time is it?" he asked, slightly more awake.
"Late. Ron, we just overheard Mum and Dad talking about Harry," Fred said seriously.
"What about?" Ron asked with furrowed eyebrows, trying to wake up.
"About Harry's home life. What do you know about it?" George asked bluntly.
Ron's eyes widened and he blinked in surprise.
"He asked me not to tell," he said firmly. "How did Mum and Dad find out?"
"Ron, we already know everything. The Dursleys even admitted it to Dad and he talked with the Stensons and Snape and Dumbledore and stuff," said Fred.
"Snape? How's he involved?" Ron asked confusedly.
Fred and George related exactly what they had heard down in the kitchen. Ron was horrified to learn the extent of what Harry had gone through. He figured that it no longer mattered if he told the twins about what had happened the day he found Harry's scars. Out of courtesy to Harry, he didn't mention his friend's minor breakdown, just some of the contents of it.
"And he hasn't talked about it since?" George asked worriedly.
"No, and he hates it when people even get near the subject. I think he's ashamed," Ron said sadly. "Speaking of which, don't tell Ginny about this. Harry would be mortified."
Fred stood up angrily and began to pace the room. "Those bastards! Those—those assholes! How could they do this to Harry? I-I-I mean…Harry! Innocent, selfless Harry! How could he have even stood a chance against that whale of an uncle of his? And dad said they've been treating him rotten since he was a little kid!"
"Oh Merlin, Fred, remember when we picked up Harry in dad's car, when we went to get his trunk from the cupboard under the stairs, remember it was on top of that little ratty cot? You don't reckon that was Harry's bed, do you? It looked like it was going to fall apart!" George said heatedly.
"Not to mention the fact that he was locked in his room being starved," Ron said bitterly. "Who knows what they've been doing to him. When he came back from winter break on the train, he got sick from whatever his uncle had done to him. He had a bruise on his face, which his uncle must've given him. I can't believe Snape of all people was the first to figure it out! No wonder Harry was defending him. I just can't believe he helped Harry! It must've been really bad for Snape to help him. And he didn't even tell…."
"Boys? What are you all doing up?"
Ron and the twins looked to the door to find their mother standing there in surprise. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been crying.
"Mum, we heard what you and dad were talking about in the kitchen," Fred admitted sadly. Mrs. Weasley closed her eyes for several seconds before entering the room and closing the door behind her. She went over and sat on Ron's bed, gesturing her three boys to come and pulled them all into a hug. She kissed Ron's head as she stroked Fred's hair.
"Oh boys. My boys," she muttered as she hugged them all.
"Mum, how could this happen? I don't understand how somebody could do this," George said.
Mrs. Weasley smiled sadly. "Oh boys, I know sometimes it doesn't seem it, but we have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes when you're so blessed, it's hard to imagine what it's like for those who don't have what you have. I'm so thankful that all my children have grown up in a loving family, where you never had to be afraid of anything more than having your teddy bear turned into a giant spider by your siblings."
The three chuckled softly.
"I don't think I tell you how much I love you often enough," Mrs. Weasley said tearfully.
"Mum, you tell us a thousand times a day," Ron said reassuringly.
"Yeah, we've never doubted it for a second," Fred added.
"Well, I've been rather hard on you all about your grades and the trouble you get into at school and when I compare you to your other siblings, I don't mean I love any of you more or less," she said hugging them to her again. "I'm so proud of all of you and I love you all so much."
"We know, Mum. We love you too," George said, patting her hand.
"And you know that you can always come to me or your dad about anything, right? And you know that we would never hurt you, ever, no matter how angry we got," she said with a small sob.
"Of course we know that," Ron said, hugging his mother around the neck. "Don't cry, Mum."
Mrs. Weasley sniffed and wiped away some tears with a handkerchief. "It's just so sad knowing that Harry wasn't able to have a family like ours. He must have been terrified of his relatives and they were all he had! When Harry died, Remus said that when Sirius had told Harry he loved him, it was the first time anyone had said that to him in his entire life. Can you imagine that? We have so much love in this family when some people have none, I sometimes think I take it for granted."
"I think we sort of do too," said Fred. The other two reluctantly nodded in consent.
"I guess in a way, we're sort of spoiled, aren't we?" Ron said ironically.
Mrs. Weasley chuckled and ruffled his hair lovingly. "Yes, I suppose you are in some ways. In the best ways."
"Mum, isn't there something we can do?" George asked concernedly.
"I'm not sure myself what to do, love. For now, don't tell Harry you know, but keep an eye out for him. I know he adores his godfather, but Sirius has no experience raising kids. I'm not sure how he's addressing this situation and what kind of talks he's given Harry about it, so just try to look out for anything off with Harry. With the slim chance that Sirius hasn't been doing anything about it, all this stuff has to catch up with Harry at some point. And if that happens, I don't care what anyone says, I'm stepping in. So I want you to tell me if you notice anything, all right?"
The three immediately agreed.
"And don't tell Ginny. I think Harry has a little crush on her and I'm sure he wouldn't like her knowing," she said with a smile.
The boys chuckled at the fact that everyone seemed to know about Harry's and Ginny's mutual crushes except for them.
"What's going to happen with Harry's uncle? I mean, he should be shoved in Azkaban for what he's done," Fred said angrily.
"Well, he's in Muggle prison right now, isn't he? Remember, he was taken away at the train station and they were going to contact the Stensons who could tell them everything. It's not Azkaban, but it's something and it would be too difficult for the wizarding law enforcement to interfere at this point. We'll just have to trust that he'll get what he deserves in the end," Mrs. Weasley said with a sigh.
"But it's so unfair! Why did Harry have to go through all of that? It should have been somebody who deserved it," Ron said angrily.
"Do you really think anyone deserves that, Ron?" his mum asked gently.
"Well, yeah, I mean, at least more so than Harry. Like You-Know-Who for instance, or Malfoy and his little Slytherin followers, or somebody else who's made our lives miserable. Or how about Harry's uncle? He should have to go through what he made Harry go through!" Ron argued.
"As much as I'd like to get my hands on Vernon Dursley myself," Mrs. Weasley spat the name, "you shouldn't wish that on anyone. After all, that's the kind of thing that teaches people to behave badly. There are people like Harry, who are affected in different ways, but there are others who are affected differently. You-Know-Who apparently had an awful childhood and it turned him into what he became. You should try your best not to judge people, because you never know what made them become the person they are."
"I don't think that's an excuse for the way some people act, I don't care what happened to them before, it's no excuse for being a child abuser or for killing innocent people," Fred said bitterly.
"Of course it isn't. Some things are unforgivable. But others, like the Malfoy boy and his friends; maybe they are just nasty little bullies, but on the other hand, you only know what you've seen of them," Mrs. Weasley preached. "And you saw what happened between the Malfoy boy and his father."
"Oh right, Malfoy's led a very difficult life I'm sure," Ron said sarcastically. "He's only got all the money in the world. He could just buy a new father if he doesn't get on well with his current one."
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Oh Ron, one day you'll figure out how to apply what you believe in to the areas where you're emotionally involved. Just think about all we've talked about tonight and compare that to your opinion about the Malfoy boy," she said with a fond smile, getting out of the bed and tucking Ron in. She kissed him on the forehead and left to walk the twins back to their room.
Ron thought about what his mum had said, but knew that his opinion of Draco Malfoy hadn't changed. Sure the blonde had chickened out on Crucioing Harry, and Ron was grateful for that, but he couldn't forget all the awful things Malfoy had said and done to him in the past. Whatever Malfoy's home life was like, it was no excuse for the bully he was. And Ron was certain the blonde would never change.
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A/N: Just to re-emphasize the point, this entire fic will take place during Harry's summer holidays. Well, guess what, next chapter, we might get some starting of plot! GASP! I love to see so many people back from Recnac and really excited to see all the new ones. Anywho, please review. They inspire me! (As well as feed my review addiction.)
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Siri Kat: Hey! Glad to have you back. The concealing charms are a pride thing. Most still don't really know the extent of the abuse and Harry doesn't want them to get all awkward each time they see his back. This will be discussed later in the fic. No, thank in the fic. No, thank YOU for being glad about Harry not having his powers. Mostly I've just been yelled at for the change, even though it really was necessary, but you're the only person who has thanked me for it. You really brightened my day! Don't worry, I'll keep up with the updates, and eventually, I hope to get it back to once a week, probably when the end of the school year starts rolling around.
Texasjeanette: Actually, the reason Harry's powers were getting so strong was basically because his magical energy was freaking out trying to get rid of the cancer. Now it doesn't have to fight the cancer, so it's back to normal. But Harry's still a strong wizard, just no super duper powers anymore, sorry! But you must trust it was for the good of the fic! If you like angst, though, you're in for a fun ride.
Thundering Lights: Nice to have you back! I know, I just had to make one of the disgusting mystery hangover cures that contain vile things you don't even want to think about. Hmm…why do you have that feeling? Probably because you're onto something. Good job, Sherlock! Ooh, SATs, what fun!! Or sadistic torture device, either one really.
Wiccan PussyKat: Hey, it's like a psychic connection! Lol. Don't worry, though I have many light, fluffy goodness scenes throughout, I guarantee much angst and drama. This story will probably be more angsty than Recnac as it's going to deal a lot with emotional repercussions of previous events, and upcoming events. Yeah, the Stensons will be back, but Kota and George are not yet officially dating. I'm glad you liked the song, yes I did make it up. It was quite fun, I must say! Harry didn't get pissed mostly because he's not too keen on the idea of it. After all, look at his uncle. Harry wasn't brought up by positive role models, obviously, but at least he can look at them and decide how he doesn't want to turn out. That doesn't mean he'll never get drunk in his life, but for now, he's steering clear of alcohol. I've not yet finished with the Dursleys, but that's all I can really say about the matter right now. I'm so glad that you're glad he's rid of his super powers, most are disappointed. Lol, sorry, but there will be quite of bit H/Gness to endure, but don't worry, I'll try not to get too mushy.
Foxfur Actually, Sirius discretely removed the ears from Vernon before he was taken into custody, so the police only thought he was insane when he was going on about his donkey ears. Harry could only go to the store because Fred and George were keeping an eye on him, as well as all the adult wizards coming in and out. Notice he had to wait for Sirius and Remus before he could actually go around the streets. They followed him. Kota's fire is hooked up to the Floo network, or at least will be, but she's uneasy enough with the whole Portkey thing, there's no way in hell you'd get her to step into a fire. Besides, I'm not sure if Muggles could actually travel by Floo. Either way, the Floo to her fireplace is really only if Harry wants to come and visit her.
Athenakitty: yeah, nobody could wait for the WWW shop to open. You don't want to know what was in the remedy, nobody really does, trust that. Harry's won't be growing more than what they were naturally supposed to, but he's only 15, he's got time to develop them. He won't have to retake his OWLs because no one took the second week, all having the pretty valid excuse of witnessing Harry's death, and being attacked. Harry has the ultimate excuse, since he was, in fact, dead during them, or near dead anyways. Teachers are just accepting students or rejecting them from their advanced classes based on their work in the class from the previous year. That includes Harry's professors. Good questions!
ParanoiaIn2005: Sounds like a plan, but I don't think I'll get too random. A lot of times, if things seem a bit random, they actually do have a purpose. But if I'm getting way too out there, give me a heads up. Well, you'll have to see about Snape and Draco for yourself, and don't worry, you'll find out about them soon. I'm glad you didn't find me taking away Harry's powers disappointing then, because that's what I was referring to. Don't worry, 2 weeks is the maximum between updates.
Alex20: lol, he's not crippled, he's back to normal. Yes, he's going to get sick sometimes, but it's not going to be a constant. It's up to the people who love him to make him realize he's wonderful all by himself, without being the savior of the world and having super powers. Harry needs to learn that people like him for him, not because he can be a tool to put to battle. Plus, Harry has the potential of being smart like Hermione, he just has to work harder for it than he did last year. Besides being a bit on the thin side from not eating a lot last year, he's in good shape. He plays Quidditch on a regular basis and he's always been a fast runner. And it's not like Ron is Rambo or anything. Harry has to now be strong on his own, without the crutch of super powers. Besides, he's a fifteen-year-old boy, not a warrior. A lot of people need to realize that, including Harry himself.
Also thanks to: Mythology, gaul1, Talix, Jennifer, SiriusWolf, cintishortstop, jo0609, Lyinlothana, Serpent of Light (oh, never you fear, Sev will play a definite part in this story and Remus will be there quite often. Yes, us teenagers are a bit loony at times aren't we? Lol), Romm, mickeymoose, SillyGillie (awesome username! Glad you like it so far!), Musicstarlover, A-Brighter-Dawn, Shawn Pickett (yes, the Dursleys aren't quite done with yet. You'll find out about Draco next chapter, and Sev will swoop in, robes billowing menacingly to this fic. Lol), Anilia Hawkeye (Well, I know you hate reviewing, but it means so much to me! Even just a few words of encouragement or suggestions works!), Agnes (yay! An angst lover, good. I think you'll like this story then.), Lindiel Eryn (Sirius has a ways to go before realizing Harry's a lot different from James. Guess you'll have to wait and see how that goes!), Velith (Cho won't be in this fic, it takes place only during the summer and so they won't see her, though there might be a few jokes about her. I'm not quite finished with the Dursleys yet.), Darak (I know, but trust me, it's necessary for the story), Pennypacker, water drifter, fantagal, shadowarwen, Rocky235, Rhinemjr (wow, thanks for the wonderful compliment!), Rubberduckie713 (love the penname! I'm so glad you found and liked my story! I'll try to make you cry just as much. Lol), ChildofDarkness, Magnolia Lane, Von (No, Harry won't get his super-powers back, but he's still a strong wizard. He just needs to find his own strengths.), Rhiain, Earthmom, Nankinmai, Eternally*Mine (of course that's okay! Actually, a lot of times I do put really subtle things in my fics that only those who try to look deeper into things can actually see. The Dursleys are not all the way gone yet. Good picking up on the Harry getting drunk with the Vernon connection. I want to go there too!), obsessedw/hpbutitsok, SicTransitGoria.gloryFades (Terry! Wow, didn't recognize the penname! Lol Flower Potter! Lol, well, hopefully I'll talk to you v. soon and I'm sorry about them deleting your fic. Ff.net has some crazies on it I'm sure!), Luna Chi Lupin Sparrow, lyss33, Zaptor (don't worry, I read all my reviews), tessa (no, not a genuine Brit, but I read a lot of British books and I've done a lot of looking into the slang to make it more realistic. Yes, I am a dork. But I'm going to London this summer! I'll be able to put it all to some use!), angel74, Threetoedsloth, crazedbrat28, ckat44, Wynjara, Biggi, LadyAbbeyBartlet (Harry is a strong wizard. He's back to his normal self now, but I never said that was at the same level as everyone else. But now it's just him, no cancer-induced superpowers. Don't worry! The H/G romance is still there, but there's still the slight problem of denial in the way. I'm glad you like the Brit slang. I try. I'll try to read your fic if I can, but I've promised a lot of people to read theirs as well, and I'm just so busy! But I'll definitely try.), HG/HrRFan4ever, EriEka127, Crystal113, captinuv (I thought of that too, but it wouldn't work with the story. Besides, Harry's powers were strong because they were freaking out, trying to rid his body of cancer. Now that the cancer's gone, his powers aren't freaking out anymore and are back to normal.), kneh13, katisha, Savoy Truffle, Ganymade (lol, I can't answer that! You'll have to read on and find out!), Helen, Phoenix Marauder, H.Potter5, Fair-Faye-Kahlan (lol, well, Alan Rickman can take the brunt of all your angst. I don't think he's ugly! Definitely not a sex god, but not bad considering what he could have looked like. I think he plays Snape wonderfully. I really thought the twins would be better looking. *Sigh* Anyways, I hope you continue to like!), David, charmed1, Avvy Kavvy, and Bosson12787.