Disclaimer: Me no own dis. Ok?
"Speech" 'Thoughts'
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Chapter 4 – Repercussions
An apprehensive boy could be seen walking in the second floor corridor after the famous end of term feast that Hogwarts offers. Not that any of it showed in his face; indeed, if not for the lion crest on his robes, you might think he was a Slytherin.
After walking past the eerily silent corridors, he came to a halt before a statue of a gargoyle.
"Chocolate Frogs."
The gargoyle immediately leapt aside, revealing a spiral stone staircase. The boy immediately went inside, and arriving at a polished oak door, he heard the entrance close behind him. He extended his hand for the brass gargoyle knocker when Dumbledore's voice came through the door.
"Mr Potter! Please do come in."
"Greetings Headmaster" said Harry as he walked through the door.
He eyed the large circular room, looking at the silver instruments he remembered breaking in his fifth year. He could clearly see the pale moon against the night sky through Dumbledore's windows. As he approached the large desk, he looked at the portraits of the past headmasters/mistresses, most of which were looking at him curiously. Fawkes was at his usual golden perch, and was looking at Harry with a keen interest he had never seen before on the face of the phoenix.
"Please have a seat Mr Potter" said Dumbledore, indicating one of the plush chairs in front of him, "Would you perhaps care for a lemon drop?"
"Certainly professor" replied Harry, sitting down in a chair and accepting one of the offered lemon drops. "Thank you sir."
"So Mr Potter, how has your first year at Hogwarts been?"
"Quite nice, though I did have a cultural shock at first. After all, I was raised by Muggles" 'Something you are responsible for headmaster' he added subconsciously.
"Most of the teachers report that you have been performing superbly in your studies lately…in fact, I am told that you are performing magic of a very advanced level." said the old wizard, looking at Harry over his half-moon spectacles.
"Well…I have been putting in some extra effort since the beginning of the year…I find that much of the material is easy for me to understand, and I have done some extra study"
"I have also received some reports concerning your behaviour…and some reckless use of your magical ability."
"I'm afraid I am not sure what you are talking about sir."
"Professor Snape has made complaints about how you behave in his class…and professor McGonagall has told me that you were using advanced transfiguration against Mr Malfoy…is that correct?"
"Sir…professor Snape seems to carry some form of grudge against me since the beginning of the year…he will usually pick on me, ridicule me whenever I make a mistake and make lewd comments about me and my parents. I have done my best to be polite to him, but he maintains his bias against me, for reasons I do not know. I do not want to sound disrespectful professor, but I think that this questions the credibility of the complaints he has made against me." said Harry 'In other words, he is a slimy git'
"I will admit that professor Snape may carry a bias against you Mr Potter, for I recall that he held quite a lot of dislike for your father…but I do seem to recall a day when he came to me laying specific charges against you for cheating and using words that not only were disrespectful, but also insulting."
"With regards to the allegations of cheating sir, I decided to use a different brewing technique than the one given to us, because I believed that if would yield better results. On spotting me using a different method, professor Snape proceeded to make offensive remarks about me and my intelligence, claiming I was using the wrong method. When the potion turned out to be satisfactory, he accused me of cheating. At that point sir, I will admit that I snapped and insulted him, but I simply could not take any more of his behavior. I believe that under these circumstances, my actions can be justified." Harry explained. 'I wonder if you would be as willing to defend that git if you knew that he ends up killing you'
"I am willing to excuse you for that Mr Potter, but you still have to explain yourself with regards to bullying Mr Malfoy."
"I wouldn't call it bullying sir; he deliberately insulted my friends and my parents. At that point I had just endured the previous incident with professor Snape, and I admit that I let my emotions rule me. I had read about human transfiguration in a book on the previous day, and it was the first thing that came to my mind." 'That's it, play the hotheaded Gryffindor, and he might just excuse you.'
"Attempting Human transfiguration, especially when untrained, can have very dangerous consequences for the person involved."
"I…I understand that professor, and I am very sorry…I will try not to lose control of my emotions like that again sir. I promise to be more careful from now on…It was an isolated incident, can you please just excuse me this once? I am really sorry." 'Just say yes…you have excused much worse things before.'
"You need to understand Mr Potter, that with great power comes great responsibility. I understand you were provoked, but you need to understand that when you learn magic, you need to learn how to control yourself as well, or you will cause harm to the world around you." said the elderly wizard, in a serious tone that tended to make most of his students squirm. Not that it affected Harry.
"Yes sir. I promise to go to extra lengths to control myself from now on"
'Come on! Just accept what I say and assume the best of me! It is what you did for Snape after all! And he tortured and killed!'
"I certainly hope so Mr Potter." said Dumbledore leaning back on his high-backed chair. "Now, there is another matter I wish to discuss with you"
"Yes Sir?" 'So he was stalling until now…what does he want?'
"I would like to talk about your confrontation with Quirrell when you and your friends went after the philosopher's stone."
"Sir? I thought we have already been over this."
"Indeed. From your account, after Mr Longbottom fell unconscious, you dueled Quirrell, trying to distract him with some hexes, but you were rather ineffective, is that correct?"
"Yes sir. I couldn't really do anything against him. He would block everything I sent towards him. He just stood there and laughed at me, saying how my pathetic spells could never defeat him. In fact, the only reason I am alive is because he toyed with me."
"And from what you told me Mr Potter, you then proceeded to banish Mr Longbottom's body on to Quirrell, who then burned as a result of the contact?"
"Yes sir. His hand got burnt when he tried to grab him the first time, so I thought that it would be my last hope."
"Yes…you performed quite bravely down there Mr Potter." Said the Headmaster, who then remained silent for a few moments. "However, we appear to have a small problem."
"Problem Sir?"
"Mr Longbottom claims that he woke up shortly after Quirrell put a curse on him. He claims that he witnessed the exchange between you, Quirrell and Voldemort's spirit. His account however is rather…different from yours." Said Dumbledore, looking sternly at the boy in front of him.
Harry froze. 'Damn it…he knows what I did! He knew I was lying all along…I need to create a cover, and fast.' "Really professor?"
"Yes. I am particularly concerned that you allegedly used the dark arts down there Mr Potter…including the unforgivable killing curse."
Harry hung his head. "I…I admit that I did use them sir…but it was the only way! He would have killed Neville and me! He was going to use the stone to resurrect Voldemort! I could let that happen."
"And you found it necessary to turn to the dark side to do that?"
"I am not a dark wizard sir! I just used that magic out of necessity! This is Voldemort we were talking about! If I had not used it, who knows how many lives would have been lost!"
"Could you not have achieved the same result with light magic?"
"Sir…magic is about intent. I may have used the dark arts, but I am different from a death eater, because I did not use it to harm others, but to protect my friends and the magical world! If I hadn't used the killing curse, neither Neville nor I would be alive at this point, and Voldemort would most likely have begun a new age of terror." 'Just buy it! You trusted other dark wizards!'
"And how did you learn this magic Mr Potter? The dark arts are not taught in any lessons or covered in the books we have in the library."
"I…"'Think fast you fool!' "I read about some of the spells in some books that I aquired…"
"And are these books legal Mr Potter?"
"They were more like hand-written notes…"
"I am quite concerned about you reading manuscripts by dark wizards Mr Potter…it could easily lead you down the wrong path."
Harry felt a very gentle and subtle push against his barriers. Livid, he prepared to slam his shields to full power, but he thought about it a second time. It was too subtle. 'He knows I am an occlumens, he must be trying to get by unnoticed! I might just be able to use this "talk" to my advantage!' Instead of stopping the attack, he fed false memories to the Legilimency probe, showing genuine regret and innocence.
"I would never go dark sir! The followers of Voldemort killed my parents! I would never follow in their footsteps!...and...and…I found some of these spells written in an old potions book."
"Really?" asked professor Dumbledore.
'Now's my chance…' He thought whilst saying: "I found it in Sn..proffesor Snape's classroom, during a detention…it is Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage…it had potions advice and some spells written in the margins…it was the old copy of a student…they only identified themselves as the Half-Blood Prince."
"Half-Blood Prince?" asked Dumbledore, looking thoughtful, and at the same time interested in the information.
"Sir…I think it belongs to Professor Snape."
"Are you sure Mr Potter?"
"Well…the handwriting is similar….and when I was looking through some old daily prophets in order to learn some things about this world…I saw a notice about Eileen Prince marrying a muggle named Tobias Snape…the name interested me so I looked at some later newspapers, and there was a notice that they gave birth to Serverus Snape…so in a sense, he was a Half-Blood prince…and considering his potions expertise and the dates…I came to the conclusion that it is him."
"This information is certainly…interesting. Is that the only thing you used to learn the dark arts Mr Potter?"
"I…I did not know most of it was dark arts sir…and I read some books on dueling in the liberary…and some curses were mentioned there too…like the Avada Kedavra curse…I found that, like everything else, I learnt them easily. But I am not evil sir! Please believe me!" said Harry, looking genuinely sorry and intimidated.
Once again he felt a subtle push at his mind, and he fed it images that affirmed his story and made him look repentant and remorseful. Dumbledore then gained a compassionate expression and leant forward.
"I never said you were evil Harry…but, my boy, you have great potential, and I am afraid that by delving into the dark arts, you will eventually lose yourself in them…you can gain an addiction to the power that the dark side has to offer. I do not want to see you go down this path Harry…I am not here to punish you, I am here to help you." said the old man kindly.
'Ahh…back to the grandfather act are we? Use of first name too….good thing I deflected part of the blame on Snape…I hope he gets fired…though I doubt it…good…this is working.' "Thank you sir…if you think it is too dangerous, I will stop learning any dark arts. Please forgive me sir."
"Harry, I must ask of you to promise that you will cease all use and study of the dark arts, and that you try to control your emotions, so that you do not harm others with your power. I would also suggest that you take some advanced tutoring with some teachers, so your skills can be refined and you can learn advanced magicks but still control your power." Said the Headmaster, who now had his famous twinkle on and at full blast.
"I will stop learning these arts sir…and I will not use them unless I am faced with a wizard or dark creature that puts me and my friends at mortal peril…I promise not to harm anyone with my power…as for the tutoring…I would do it…so long as I am allowed to choose the instruction I will receive."
"That would be acceptable Harry. Now, have you been learning any other branches of magic?"
Harry felt another probe, this time much less delicate and more blunt attack his mind. He immediately raised weak shields, which the headmaster would be able to break if he pressed on. The probe withdrew.
"I have been studying occlumency sir, which you doubtlessly noticed when you tried to read my mind a moment ago. I am not that good at it, but it was good enough to hold of a spirit, even if it was Voldemort's."
I apologize for that Harry, but I wanted to see your shields for myself. Now, to your studies, what else have you learnt thus far?"
"I have been studying some charms and transfiguration, but I mainly focused on trying to make my spells non-verbal. It is not as difficult as they make it out in the books, I guess that most people find it hard because their minds are trained to channel energy by shouting the incantation and it is hard for them to adapt" Lied Harry quickly.
"That is quite an interesting theory Mr Potter" Said the Headmaster with his mildly annoying twinkle. "I have been looking into some of that stuff as well. Now, I believe we have one more matter to attend to. What do you know of a certain prophesy?"
"Ahh…that….well…I kinda snuck into Snape's office one day…to um…borrow certain ingredients…for which I am sorry sir…" started Harry
"It's quite alright Harry, I am certain they will not be missed" said Dumbledore
"Yes..um...while I was there I noticed a stone basin in one of the cupboards…it had these odd runes and symbols around it…I looked in it and it had some bright, whitish-silver stuff in it…when I touched it, it pulled me into something…First I saw some of Snape's years in Hogwarts…then, I…I saw you and some old lady at a bar…you were interviewing her for some position here…but while she was talking she suddenly started saying: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Then Snape was thrown out, and that is all I heard. I then left this memory thing by using some occulmency. I am sorry for looking into whatever that was sir."
"Don't worry about it Harry, you were merely being inquisitive. It is natural in a boy your age. What you saw was a Pensieve, a device that collects memories. But why did you tell Voldemort that you were the one mentioned in it?"
"Well sir, when I was small I read a book on the muggle second world war that talked about how the allies used fake information to confuse the Nazi's…so I thought that if I made his think it was me…because I do fit the two descriptors…and if I made him thought that it predicted I would become some powerful ruler, it would lead to him acting on that information and making a mistake." said Harry
"Very interesting Harry…though I do not think it was the wisest thing to do, as you have made yourself a target in his eyes…"
"I don't care if I become a target!" said Harry with passion "His followers killed my family, and he was threatening my friend! If he ever comes back, he will put all of my friends at danger! If he comes after me, then it will distract him from committing harm to everyone else!"
"How noble of you Harry."
'This is getting better by the minute…' "Sir? The prophesy…what exactly is it about?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that Harry…and I must ask that you do not share this information with anyone else."
"Yes sir. Me and Neville are the two candidates for it, aren't we?"
"Yes, but I do not want you to put this burden on his shoulders Harry."
"He is the one isn't he? Because he is the boy-who-lived? Doesn't he have a right to know?" Asked Harry in a concerned voice.
"I will eventually tell him…but he needs to have a childhood…he is too young right now."
"If you think that is best sir…I will do as you ask."
"So Harry…I hope you are looking forward to the holidays. Plenty of opportunity to empty everything your brain from everything you have learnt."
To be truthful, I would rather stay here sir."
'Really? Why?"
"My relatives…they…they hate me sir." said Harry, sounding nervous.
"Hate is a strong word Harry…I am sure it is not that bad."
"No sir…they…I lived in the cupboard under the stairs until I got my letter…they would lock me in for weeks whenever I did something they didn't like…sometimes they would even hit me…that is why it was so easy to use the dark arts sir…" He said, making his eyes look wet.
"Now Harry, are you sure that is what is happening?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry felt once more the Headmaster's subtle attempt to enter his mind. inwardly smirking. He fed it images of all the beatings he had received, all the times he was in the cupboard, all the times when he felt alone and desperate.
"Yes…Sir…I…They…I don't think I can go there again this year…could I please stay here? They wouldn't miss me…and…I fear that if I see them, I might be tempted to break the promise I gave you…"
"Now my boy…you cannot stay at Hogwarts…but if there are problems with your relatives, I am sure we could have someone go there and investigate." now said the old man, looking kind and slightly remorseful.
'Aha! Feeling guilty for putting me there eh? So now you will fix this, so I do not become another Riddle…' Thought Harry, whilst saying, with shining, grateful "You..you would really do that for me, sir? Thank you sir! Thank you!"
"In the meanwhile, I do believe that you could perhaps stay with your friends. I am sure the Grangers, Weasleys or Mrs Longbottom would be glad to look after you…if the situation with your family is as bad as you say, we could even get them as your guardians." he said, with his twinkle on full blast.
"Really sir? But…don't I have any other relatives? I believe my aunt mentioned I had a godfather? Someone named Black?"
Dumbledore's expression became pensive. "Ahh…Sirius Black is your godfather Harry…but I am afraid he was a traitor, working for Voldemort. He is in the Azkaban prison now."
"Really? What was he convicted for?"
"He betrayed the locations of your parents and killed many muggles and a wizard Harry."
"He is responsible for the deaths of my parents? That bastar…sorry sir. Emm…could I perhaps see a memory of the trial in one of these…pensieve things? Or the notes of the trial? I would feel better if I could see justice being done…it would put a part of my soul at piece."
He could have sworn the Headmaster fidgeted slightly. "Erm..There was no trial Harry…he was sent directly to prison."
"No trial? Then how do you know it was him? He could be innocent!"
"Everyone knew he was your parent's secret keeper Harry. Your parents were hidden under a charm that would not allow anyone to find them unless they were told the location by the secret keeper of the charm…and that was Black. He was the logical choice, the best friend of your Father."
"So who performed the charm?"
"It was only you, your family and Black present Harry…anyone else being there would violate the charm's secrecy."
"So if no-one was there…they could have chosen another secret keeper…it would make sense….Black was the obvious choice…so if they used someone else, the dark side would go after Black, and the real keeper would remain secret."
"That is stretching it Harry…and it does not explain why he killed all the other people."
"You said there was a wizard right? Maybe he was the keeper! Isn't there a way to question Black, to see if he is saying the truth?"
"There are ways Harry" Said Dumbledore "But a wizard of Black's power…he could overpower them…"
"But…could I talk to him? At least hear his side of the story?"
"I will see if I can organize that Harry…though it will be difficult."
'Yeah! I did it!' "Thank you sir, for all of the things you have done for me, and for giving me a second chance." said Harry, looking very grateful.
"It is nothing my Boy!' answered the twinkling headmaster. "Now, I do believe it is growing rather late, and Minerva would have my neck if I kept you up all night.' he added, chuckling.
oOo
A short while later, an exuberant raven haired boy run through the Halls of Hogwarts to the Gryffindor dorm. 'That hat had a point when it said I would do well in Slytherin' he thought, as he gave the password to the Fat Lady and crawled through the opening behind the painting.
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"Wake Up Harry! The're giving our exam results today!" said Neville's voice, while at the same time someone pulled open the drapes on Harry's bed, letting the sun shine on the boy.
"No…need…to lose sleep…over that." mumbled Harry, closing his eyes and pretending to have fallen into deep sleep, although in reality he was keenly aware of his surroundings.
Good thing too, for two red-haired devils had decided that this would be a good moment to visit their little brother, and give their own kind of wake-up call. Two buckets of water appeared over two of the beds in the first year dormitory. A short while later, one drenched 11 year old redhead woke up with a howl and started yelling at his snickering brothers.
"Now now Ronniekinns. Why don't you stay silent when you are woken up like ickle Harrykins over here? You don't see him complaining do you? Right Harry?" Said Fred, whilst approaching the raven haired boy's bed.
A few seconds later both twin's skin had changed to a polka pink colour and their hair into an electric blue colour.
" Top of the morning to ya Gred, Forge. I think that considering my parentage, you should know that I am not that easy to prank…and I am more than capable of retaliating." Harry then turned to Ron and muttered a few incantations, drying him off.
"Now Ron, your brothers only wanted to help you out of the kindness of their hearts. So, how about we go to breakfast before it disappears, and before Hermione drives everyone else crazy with her constant talk about the results?" He said smirking, while walking into the bathrooms for his morning shower.
15 minutes later, another howl could be heard, as spiders started coming out of Ron's now dry clothes.
"I'm gonna kill him!" said a red-faced and red-eared Ron, whilst shaking off all the spiders. Everyone else just laughed. "Honestly! He is becoming almost as bad as you two" He said, pointing at his twin brothers, who immediately assumed an innocent expression, which did not go very well with their new appearance.
"Shut up and go get dressed Ron." said Neville, as he and Harry exited the first year dorms "We're going to meet you at the Great Hall."
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Neville and Harry were greeted at the great hall by a frantic Hermione, who by now had managed to make every Gryffindor avoid her, because she drove them crazy by constantly talking about the results.
"Oh Neville! Harry! They are going to give us the results today! How do you think you did? I mean, I studied hard, but I do not know if I answered correctly on part b of question 3 on paper 1 of the History of Magic exam…and I do not know if I transfigured my mouse properly for the Transfiguration exam…and in Char.."
"Don't worry Hermione! I am sure you did fine! Honestly! You probably got 150 in every exam!" said Harry desperately, while Neville tried to cover his ears.
"How can you know that Harry!" now said Hemione shouting "I might have gotten something wrong and it could harm my average! Oh, I failed everything, I'm sure!" She wailed.
"Bloody hell Hermione! You're the best in our year along with Harry! How could you possibly fail?" Said Ron, who had now gotten rid of the spiders and joined them.
Soon, one of the famous Ron-Hermione arguments began, so Neville and Harry just tuned them off and turned to their breakfast.
Soon, McGonagall came and posted the results on a large notice board. The area was soon flooded by students frantic to learn their results.
"Ouch…hey move it…okay…hey what did I tell you Hermione? See perfect in everything." said Ron, looking at the board. "Harry, you came out first in the year mate! Wow, your grades are really high for everything…except History of Magic…you barely passed there"
"Well…even I cannot go through Binn's lectures….Ron you did well too! So did you Neville…look at your Herbology score! Third in the year! And you did well in DADA too!"
"Hey…I hope that Goyle didn't pass." Said Ron, who was looking much happier now that he knew his grade "Oh no…he passed…well, you can't have everything in life can you?"
Relieved to know about their grades, the 4 students left the great hall to enjoy their last few, stress-free day at the castle. Harry enjoyed these for the first time, as he no longer had the expectation of having to endure the Dursleys once more.
"Good Morning Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Mr Longbottom." came an elderly and cheerful voice from behind them "Wonderful day today, isn't it?"
"Good Morning Professor Dumbledore" said the children.
"I do believe that you received your exam results today? The four of you did quite well from what I understand. Especially you two Mr Potter and Miss Granger" Said the twinkling headmaster.
"Oh yes sir" Said a beaming Hermione "I was very anxious for the results, but I am very happy now."
Harry simply smiled and remained silent, waiting for the headmaster to continue
"Now Harry, I have spoken to Mrs Longbottom and Mrs Weasley regarding the matter we talked about in my office yesterday. I do believe that they would be quite happy to have you stay there over the summer."
"Really sir? Thank you!" said a beaming Harry.
"Oh, it was nothing my boy. Now, I do believe that you should stay with Augusta and Neville for the beginning of the summer, and then after your birthday, you can stay with the Weasley family for the rest of the summer. Molly would be delighted to have you.
"Thank you sir for going to all this trouble for me" 'Of course, the fact that this helps you keep an eye on me and encourages me to have closer ties with the light has nothing to do with it…oh, you are a sly one Dumbledore…but you always see the best in people…and that led to your death."
"Oh it is no trouble at all my boy! Now off you go! Enjoy your last few days at Hogwarts!" He said, walking away whistling a tune.
"You're going to stay with us for the summer mate?" Said an excited Ron
"Yea, what about the Dursleys?" asked Neville.
"I talked to Dumbledore about my relatives last night…he said that it would be best if I didn't return there. So he said that he would see if I could stay with you guys! And I can!"
"That's great! We can even have our birthday parties together!" Said Neville "You guys are both invited! I hope you can come." He added, turning to Ron and Hermione.
"If my parents let me, I'll come. You live in a wizarding household right? Oh this will be so exciting!" said Hermione, beginning to wonder at the possibilities of seeing a household full of magic.
Ron chuckled. "We'll be happy to have you mate! You'll get to see the Weasley clan!"
The four went on happily talking about their vacation plans and Harry, for the first time, prepared for a summer where he wouldn't have to face the Dursley's or battle the dark forces.
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A crowd of exited children poured out of the Hogwarts express when it reached platform 9 ¾ . As families re-united, Harry, Neville and Hermione followed Ron to a large congregation of Red Heads.
"Ron! Oh…You're back! How did you like your first year? Did you children have a nice time?" asked Molly Weasley.
"Yes Mrs Weasley. Thank you for the sweater and the sweets." replied Harry.
"Oh, it was no problem. Albus told me that you would be staying with us for part of the summer."
"I…I don't want to put you in any trouble Mrs Weasley…" began the boy.
"It is no trouble! The burrow is open to anyone who wishes to stay!" said the Weasley matron. "Oh, Augusta!" she called, spotting Neville's grandmother in the crowd.
"Hello Molly. I see you have found my grandson."
The two witches settled into a conversation, while Harry and his friends went to talk with the rest of the redheads. As the other 3 got into a discussion with the brothers, Harry approached the youngest Weasley.
"Hello, you must be Ginny."
"H..Hello" squeaked the little redhead, blushing.
"You'll be joining Hogwarts next year, aren't you?"
"Yes…I hope I'm in Gryffindor…." She stammered.
"Oh, if you really want to go somewhere, then the hat will put you there. Believe me, it kept on telling me that I would do well in Slytherin, but I was dead set against that. Just keep on asking it for Gryffindor, and it will put you there."
"R…Really?"
"If it doesn't, then just tell it that I will have a talk with it involving a few thread-cutting hexes and a nice strong fire. After that, it won't dare put you anywhere else."
Just then, the Weasley twins approached.
"Ahh, Gin-Gin, I see you have met our protégé, ickle Harrikins!" Started Fred
"Yes, we have very high expectations from this young fella!"
"He'll make us proud he will!"
"And when you join us next year, you can join him Ginny! You would like that, wouldn't you?"
"After all, you were looking entirely too red right now weren't you?"
Ginny's blush spread, and she now looked horrified
"Aww, dear brother, I think little Gin-Gin has developed a crush for Mr Potter over here."
"Alright guys, that's enough, leave her alone, or your appearance will take several weeks before it gets back to normal" said Harry, with his wand levelled at the twins.
"I think dear brother that our little Harrykins is being too protective of our little sister."
"Indeed. And I think he was a little too comfortable when he was talking to her just now"
"Yes, and is that a blush my dear eyes spot on him?"
"Harry! You mustn't let dear Gin-Gin here distract you from pranking!"
"Unless she is helping you with the pranks."
"We are putting a lot of faith in you two"
"Yes, you are the next generation of pranksters!"
Unfortunately for the twins and fortunately for the now blushing Harry and Ginny, their last comment was caught by Mrs Weasley.
"Fred and George Weasley! I sure hope you are not trying to corrupt your sister and poor Harry!" She started, quickly settling into giving a lecture to the twins, who had adopted innocent expressions that fooled no-one.
"And you young man must be Harry Potter" came the voice of Mrs Longbottom. "My grandson speaks most highly of you."
"Hello Mrs Longbottom" said Harry.
"So you will be staying with us for the summer? That is good. Neville needs to have some friends, he is such a lonely boy, nobody around for him to talk to. He is such a good boy though, just like his father."
"Gran…" started Neville, whose ears had turned red
"Yes…well then, say goodbye to your friends boys, we had better be going."
The two boys who were candidates for the prophesy quickly gave their goodbyes to the Weasleys and Hermione, and followed Mrs Longbottom through the gate of platform 9 ¾ .
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And Harry's off to the Longbottom estate! Hoped you liked that talk with Albus.
As always, your feedback is appreciated.