Disclaimer: I am a genius, a multibillionaire and the secret ruler of the entire universe, but unfortunately I do not own Harry Potter.
"Speech" "Other Language" 'Thoughts' Parseltongue
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Chapter 7 – Birthdays and the Burrow
The time Harry passed at Hogwarts over the summer was one of the best times in his life, as he didn't have to worry about someone trying to kill him or his loving relatives trying to starve him.
Dumbledore had naturally been very stern about Harry's use of dark magic, but an act of apology, some pretence of fear for Neville's life, and a mention of the fact that Bellatrix had used the cruciatus on both boys was enough to keep him away, for now at least.
Dumbledore couldn't leave his precious boy who lived in an unsafe place, so, for over a month, Longbottom Manor was the site of extensive warding. As a final measure, the Fidelius charm was cast on the house, with Dumbledore himself as secret keeper.
Meanwhile, Neville and Harry explored most of the grounds, finding several secret passages that even the twins didn't know about. With all the excitement, it was not long before the end of July, and the birthdays for the two boys, arrived.
Since they were in Hogwarts, it was decided that they could invite everyone to the castle for the Birthday celebrations. So, as July 30 and Neville's birthday came along, the Weasley's, the Granger's and the rest of the Longbottom Family arrived at Hogwarts.
Neville and Harry woke up, and then went down to the Gryffindor common room, which was decorated and even had a banner saying "Happy Birthday" in flashing red letters.
Said flashing letters gave a certain Raven Haired boy a slight headache.
'Ugh…couldn't these idiots pick something less bright? It looks like we are in the middle of a fire storm…'
"Surprise!" Shouted a number of cheerful voices as Neville was assaulted by a number of hugs, pats, handshakes and Birthday wishings and an attempt at rib-breaking by Mrs Weasley. Harry's friends came over to greet him.
"Hello mate!" Said a cheerful Ron, with Hermione on toe "I see you were busy over the summer! Battling Death Eaters! Wow!"
"Well, what can I do, I seem to have an unhealthy hobby of getting in the way of dark wizards. Unhealthy for them though, not for me."
Hermione and Ron demanded all the details about the death eater battle, and Harry gave them a carefully edited version, which omitted certain facts of little interest, such as that he and Neville were parselmouths, and that he had used dark magic. Though he had to tell them about using the killing curse, and he watched their faces cycle through awe, respect and a little fear.
"Wow mate…you did them good…you would be a great Auror" said Ron
"Seriously Harry…I hope you are not thinking of going into dangerous situations like that…you could get killed" Said Hermione.
"Well, it is not so much that Harry is going into danger, its more like danger has a nasty habit of finding him…and us" Said Neville, who had managed to escape the attentions of the Weasley matriarch and had gone over to the group.
"And it is not like I want it to happen Hermione" added Harry "in fact, if the Aurors had arrived a few seconds later, I would be dead…Rodolphus was over me, halfway through his curse when they stunned him." He said, causing a small shiver go through the group that fell into an awkward silence.
"So, what is this about a study group that you owled us about" asked an exited Hermione, trying to change the subject.
"Study group?" said Ron, paling as if he was in a nightmare that he desperately wanted to wake up from "what study group?"
"It's not a study group Ron" said Harry, almost chuckling with mirth "It is a group where we practice things like duelling and defence, so we can kick the arse of the trouble that seems to be attracted to us…and that includes the Slytherins...and we will generally have fun…I have a feeling that this year we might have as much trouble as we had last year…"
Ron's face brightened up with glee at the mention of getting one over the Slytherins, but Hermione furrowed her brow and scowled. "I hope you are not thinking of picking any fights Harry." She said in a stern voice.
"What? Me? I wouldn't pick any fights" he answered, with his fingers crossed behind his back. "But as you very well know, some Slytherins" at this point Neville made a cough that sounded oddly like "Malfoy" "have the habit of picking fights with us…and if we bite back, they will learn to…adjust their behaviour."
"Fine…but I will not tolerate you using this club as an excuse to break any more rules!"
"Hermione…between us, we have already broken every rule in the book!" said Ron, rolling his eyes.
She seemed unable to respond for a few moments, until she finally said. "We had a reason to! And imagine what you would have done if I was not there! You could have been expelled!"
"We still won the house cup…and with a record amount of points too" Reminded Harry.
"That was only because of what we did with the stone!" She said, almost shrieking.
"Fine…we won't be doing anything bad…okay?" said Harry 'Though that does not mean that I cannot unleash my marauder skills…hehehe'
"So, what are we going to name our club?" asked Neville, trying to get back on the subject
"Advanced Study Group?" offered Hermione
"Griffin's Chosen" shouted Ron
"How about we become the Shades?" asked Harry "you know, we can work in secret…maybe even put on a few pranks…" he added with a smirk.
"We are NOT going to be pulling any pranks!" said Hermione, looking livid and stamping her foot on the ground.
"Okay…but"
"NO" she insisted.
"Fine…Shades it is then" said Neville
"Yea...Shades is fine" added Ron "now lets eat!" he said, moving to the pile of sweets nearby, followed by a chuckling Neville.
"You aren't really going to be pranking anyone, are you Harry?" asked Hermione
"Maybe once in a while, to lift school spirits."
"But if you get caught, they'll deduct points! Remember how it was last year when we lost 150 points? No-one would talk to us!"
"Nothing will happen as long as we don't get caught M..Hermione."
"But you can't go around breaking rules!"
"The only rule is 'Don't get caught'. Anyway, don't worry, if you don't want yourself to be involved, you don't have to help us."
"But I cannot allow…"
"Oh come on Hermione…it's not like we are going to kill anyone…and besides…my dad led a group of pranksters. And he ended up Head Boy!"
"But…"
"Fred and George get away with it…admit it, their pranks help people feel better…it adds a different flavour to the school year."
"Oh alright…but nothing dangerous okay?" she said with a resigned sigh.
"Great!" said Harry sporting a wide smile. "Now let's go and stop Ron before he eats all our food!"
The party was soon in full swing, with Neville opening his presents and the house-elves preparing a genuinely fantastic meal for the guests, which took place in the common room, specially modified for the occasion. Harry spent much of the meal talking with Neville's great uncle Algie about the inefficiency of the ministry of magic.
After the meal, everyone drifted into separate groups and began hushed conversations. Harry noticed a redheaded figure looking around the common room with excitement, and he went over to it.
"Hello Ginny." he said softly
The girl jumped slightly and turned around to face him. "H..Hello" she stammered, going slightly pink in the cheeks.
"So, how is your first impression of Hogwarts? Most first years see it for the first time on a journey across the lake, but it seems that you managed to sneak a preview!"
"It..It's nice…I can't wait until I get here!" She said, in a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.
"Have you seen the moving staircases yet?" asked Harry
"Yes!...They were exciting…but I am sure that they would be very annoying when you tried to get to class and they switched midway…"
"Ahh…Hogwarts can be quite a maze in your first year…which can result in you being late many times….say, how about I give you a tour while you are here? I can show you passageways that very few people know about…"
"Really? Now?" she said, with the excitement evident in her eyes "I don't want to be a burden…"
"Nonsense! It's be fun!" He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the common room entrance.
A few hours later, Harry had given her a grand tour of the castle and the secret passageways, along with many stories of their first year as well various stories about the marauders that he remembered people telling him. They went through each floor, and Ginny soon knew how to navigate through the castle, though she was still far from Harry, who knew it as if he had lived there all his life.
Initially she was hesitant to talk and simply followed Harry silent, but soon she loosened up as she heard the stories, and specifically those about her brother. She soon began offering useful titbits of information about Ron, the twins and the rest of the Weasley Clan.
'It's nice to see her opening up to me…then I guess, not having the imposing title of boy-who-lived does help…'
"So, what do you think about the twin's proposition for us to become their protégés?" asked Harry as they were passing past the statue of Lachlan the Lanky, by the stairs leading from the sixth floor to the seventh.
"I don't know if mum would be too keen on me following their footsteps…though I wouldn't mind planning a few pranks, especially if you were…with…me" she said, blushing as the last part came out.
"Yea…I do not think we will be another set of twins, but we could always have some fun eh? Especially against Mafloy, I told you how much of a git he is. And anyways, my father got good grades as a marauder…it's not that hard to learn and use your learning in a…creative way."
"I…I suppose so. Please don't tell mum though, she'll bit my head off…and if she does, you mister will be getting a first hand demonstration of my bat bogey hex!"
"Don't worry about your studies too much…we could always help you…at least, me and Hermione can, because I don't think your brother would be an ideal teacher…speaking of which, you could join our group! We're calling ourselves the Shades…we're going to be doing some fun magic! Cool Hexes, Duelling and naturally pranks!"
"You will help me? Really? And you want me to join you?" she asked, biting her lower lip.
"Sure…though I would advise you don't give in to Hermione too much, or she will have you studying day and night!"
"Thank you" she said, her eyes misty with happiness. "But Ron…I am not sure whether he would like me coming along…"
"I expect you will be quite an active member Ginny…and if Ron disagrees, you can give him a bat-bogey…or he can be the subject of our first prank!" Harry said, winking as they stopped once again in front of the Fat Lady "Birthday" he said to the portrait, and it accepted the password, opening to let them in.
"Thanks!" said Ginny, very excited. She jumped at him and gave him a firm hug, and then she went through the entrance with a blush reaching up to her pink ears. Harry just chuckled and followed her inside.
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Dinner was, as expected, nothing short of excellent. Varieties of Roast meat along with gravy and Yorkshire Pudding, Pie and Mash, Jellied eels as well as a Lancashire Hotpot. Such effort had been put into this dinner, that Harry could swear that it almost touched the mythical standards of Mrs Weasley's cooking.
After the meal, Harry was approached by Ron. "Say Harry, where did you and Ginny go of to for the evening?"
"I gave her a tour of the castle and the passages Ron" said Harry "It wouldn't do for the latest member of the Shades to have difficulty getting around would it?"
"Newest…you added her into our group? We do not need a tag-along Harr.."
"Your sister is not a tag along Ron. She is a very intelligent, pretty and fiery young lady who is standing right behind you and will hit you if you do not keep your mouth shut." Said Harry.
Ron paled slightly and turned around to face Ginny, who had blushed slightly at Harry's words but was nevertheless looking at Ron a scary glare with her hands on her hips. "Why shouldn't I be a part of the group brother dear?" she asked.
"Ginny…you…you're too young…."
"Too young?" she shouted "were you too young when you went up against that troll? Or went after the stone?"
"But you are not good enough…"
"I can be as good as anyone Ron! And with Harry's help and teaching, I bet I'll soon be better than most people in my year…even better than you!" she said, jamming her finger into Ron's chest as she said the last part.
"She is right Ron" said Hermione, who had listened in to the argument amongst the siblings "she would be very good if we helped her."
"But…I can't have you rushing into danger with us…" offered Ron meekly.
"Would you rather I rush into it on my own?" she offered "At least, if you teach me, I stand a better chance!"
"Not to mention, she will be able to give any annoying Slytherins what they deserve if they come to close" added Harry.
Ron looked between all of them, his face betraying agreement but also too much pride and anger to back down. In a huff, he marched up the stair to the dormitories.
Shaking his head, Harry said "He will probably be better tomorrow" and walked over to the fireplace to sit on one of the chairs near it.
Soon, late night strolled in, and the remaining guests used the Gryffindor first and Second year dorms to stay for the night. Tomorrow would Harry's first birthday party in this world, and also the day he and Neville would finally depart form their stay at Hogwarts and go to the Burrow and Longbottom Manor respectively.
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Ron was slightly better the next day, though he was still slightly cool towards his younger and only sister. Nevertheless, his behaviour towards Harry was closer to normal.
Once again, the common had been decorated, this time for Harry's birthday. This time, the celebrations began with a large gathering in the morning around an equally large birthday cake filled with candles.
Harry, as tradition demanded, moved to the cake to blow out the candles, but at that moment all Hell broke loose.
And Hell breaking loose means that the Weasley Twins decided to take the spotlight. This naturally involved wishing Harry a very happy twelfth birthday by pushing him into the cake.
Harry's face was filled with pastry as he tried to get out of the now ruined cake. He glared at the twins, who now sported two wide cheshire cat smiles.
"Happy Birthday dear Prongs Jr." said Fred.
"I see that you really dove into that cake!" added George.
"Gred! Forge! How nice to see you!" said Harry, as if he was seeing them for the first time. "Enjoying the party? Because I think you need some more CAKE!" he said, grabbing as much of the pastry as he could and throwing it directly at their grinning faces.
It was not long before the birthday party evolved into a full-fledged food fight, which was eventually stopped by a screaming Mrs Weasley.
"Sorry Harry dear." She said once everything had calmed down and the twins had made a hasty and wise disappearance. "I didn't think that they would ruin your birthday…"
"Oh don't worry Mrs Weasley. It was the best birthday I ever had! The Dursleys were never interested in it…this is the first time I actually had a party…and a family to celebrate it with…."
He could have sworn that he saw Mrs Weasley's eyes well up with tears, and he was soon engulfed in a bone breaking hug.
Despite the now ruined cake, the celebrations for Harry's Birthday were soon well underway, and for the first time in this world he received presents form people that truly loved him. 'Being a child sure has its perks'
After lunch, the Weasley Twins decided to throw an honorary Quidditch match with Harry, Ron, themselves and Neville. They were getting ready to split everyone up into teams when Harry stepped in.
"Hey, why don't you let Ginny play?" he asked
"Oh come on Harry" Said George "I'm sure Ginny doesn't want to play…and besides…she's a girl…she can't play." Said Fred
"Hmmm…should I pass that comment onto Alicia, Katie and Angelina? I think they would be quite pleased to hex you for it. Give her a chance. I'll take her on my team. Since we are an odd number, she will balance out anyway." He said in a tone that clearly showed he had made up his mind on the matter. The elder Weasley brothers tried to argue with him, but they eventually accepted her in.
Harry, Ron and Ginny joined in one team and it was not long before they shattered the opposition. Between Harry's years of experience and training on a broom and Ginny's unexpected (for her brothers) talents, the opposing team soon found itself unable to properly defend its goalposts. Truth to be told, the twins put up quite a battle, and demonstrated excellent ability as chasers. Their co-ordination was so good that it was as if they could communicate in their heads. But even that wasn't enough to save them from an eventual defeat.
After the match, Ginny fell behind to talk with Harry.
"Thank you for letting me play Harry" she said timidly.
"Ahh…my dear, I have a duty to help natural Quidditch talent such as yours shine through!"
"How did you know…" she began, looking at him in the eyes with apprehension
"That you have the classic Weasley talent at the sport and that you are so determined that you have been sneaking into your family's broomshed and borrowing the brooms of your brothers to fly since you were six?"
She just stared at him with her bright brown eyes, surprise and puzzlement evidently written on her face.
"There is a certain branch of magic that deals with the mind." began Harry "That part includes an art called Legilimency. Some people would call it mind reading…though that would not even begin to describe it…but I can see your thoughts."
"You have been reading my mind?" she asked, her face now a mixture of slight fear, embarrassment and anger.
"The mind cannot be read…but that is close to the truth yes. It was evident that you were thinking about your escapades when you were looking at me." He said. "But don't worry, I don't go around reading minds on purpose, I just did it to surprise you" he added quickly, seeing her Weasley temper surfacing.
"You better not go around reading my mind Potter!" she growled in a cat-like manner. "or you will have a first hand experience of what I can do!"
"Don't worry Ginny!" he said consolingly "I can teach you how to counter it with occulmency, the defence of the mind."
"Really? You'd do that?"
"It will be hard of course…don't expect to pick it up immediately…but it will be very useful, considering Snivell….I mean, professor Snape tends to use legilimency on the students…that is how he has managed to avoid so many of the twin's pranks."
"Hmmf….okay….but if you use that stuff on me again…"
"I understand fair lady. I shall never invade the sanctity of your beautiful mind again" said Harry making a mock bow. Ginny just blushed and giggled as they went the rest of the way to the castle.
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When the celebrations were over, Harry kindly said goodbye to both Hermione and Neville, who was now returning to his warded manor, but without Harry's company.
"Come on Harry! Are you packed yet?" hollered an impatient Ron from the common room as the evening, and the time for the young Potter to leave for the Burrow, came along.
"Keep your pants on, I'm coming." Said Harry, who was taking extra precautions to pack some of the more…volatile potions that he had brewed during his stay. 'After all, I didn't go through all that trouble to make basilisk anti-venom only to have it ruined because Ron is impatient.'
He cast several charms on his seven-lock trunk to keep prying eyes away and to ensure that the contents were safe.
"So, lets get going shall we?" he asked, walking down the dormitory stairs carrying the large trunk, with the aid of a powerful feather-weight charm.
"About time mate…"said Ron, getting up from the couch where he had thrown himself. "I thought I was going to go mad with all the chatterbox talking about you all the time."
"Chatterbox?" asked Harry, amused.
"Ginny. She has been talking about you since she met you in the station, and after the match today, she has been talking about you non-stop! I told her to go to Mum, I just couldn't bloody take it anymore!"
"Ron! Language!" said the stern voice of Mrs Weasley, who had appeared at the common room entrance. "Are you ready Harry dear?" she asked, eyeing his trunk "Good. Now come on, we will be using floo, and the Headmaster can't keep it open for too long." She said when he nodded.
Harry and Ron followed her down the series of stairways onto McGonagall's office on the first floor. Most of the Weasley's were already waiting by the roaring fireplace.
"About time you joined us Mr Potter" said the sneering voice of professor Snape, who had come to oversee the guests leaving. Harry did not respond to his taunts.
"Now Harry, have you ever travelled by floo-powder before?" asked Mr Weasley.
"No, but I know how it works."
"Good. Just chuck the floo-powder into the fire and shout 'The Burrow!' then. Here, I'll go first." With those words he threw the powder onto the fires and jumped into them once they turned green, shouting his destination.
Soon, the rest of the Weasley Family followed and finally Harry went through the fire, only to find himself landing on the rug on the other side.
'Ugh…and just when I though I had gotten rid of the tendency to fall when travelling like this…now I will have to get my body to learn it all over again.' He thought as he extricated himself from the floor, ignoring the chuckles around him.
He looked around at the homely feel of the Burrow made a wave of happiness rise within him. Though unfortunately for him, that wave was accompanied by memories of its destruction. 'Not this time around.' He thought with fervour. 'This time, snakeface will get his arse kicked…and this corrupt world will see who Harry Potter truly is.'
"Come on Harry, lets take your trunk to my room" said Ron, leading him up the stairs. They went up to the fifth landing of the house, where a large door saying "Ronald's Room" was present. When they opened it, Harry was greeted by a familiar blast of Orange.
"The Chudley Cannons?" asked Harry, pointing at the posters that seemed to cover every inch of the walls.
"Yea…they're 9th in the championship this year…so…how do you like it?" asked Ron in apperhansion.
"It's lovely." Said Harry. "The best home I have ever seen."
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The stay at the burrow was filled with much more action compared to the rest of Harry's summer. This naturally meant more fun for him.
It also meant more opportunities to slip away unnoticed.
Which was why Harry was currently braving the chilly morning weather on an island off the northernmost point of the Scottish coast.
For you see, this was no ordinary island. For one it was unplottable…and with good reason, for it was inhabited only by vicious man-eating carnivores with five legs, also known as Quintapeds. This meant that this island was very, very dangerous.
So naturally, it was the best place to hide something.
So now a frustrated Harry had to spend his time throwing spell after spell on a rocky hill in the middle of the island.
'Bloody Riddle and his Bloody enchantments…' mused a clearly irritated Harry.
For that specific rock was guarded by a series of blood wards that ensured no-one would be able to pass by them if the caster was alive, but without a body. Quite a good piece of magic, as it ensured that when Voldemort wasn't around, no-one could enter.
Harry eventually stopped pummelling the unmovable thing with spells, and sent a few nasty curses at a nearby Quintaped that was creeping to close for comfort.
'Well, I can't claim that I didn't know this would happen…even if I hoped for the opposite…' he said to himself, and proceeded to cast come complicated tracking charms on the stone. 'I'll have to come back when snake-face gets a body.' He mused, before disappearing without a sound.
He re-appeared several miles to the south, on the other side of the country in a forested area in Devon, and made his way through the woods to a clearing and a large house that looked so odd, it was clear that it was held up by magic. That, and the fact that it had so far survived the menace known as the Weasley Twins, but not many outsiders knew about that. Though not many outsiders would come upon the house, since it was so well hidden.
Harry went through the front door to the kitchen, where Mrs Weasley was preparing lunch.
"Where were you Harry dear?" she asked as she moved various flying ingredients around.
"Just taking a walk in the woods" lied the boy smoothly.
"Your Hogwarts Letter arrived while you were gone." She said, handing him a familiar envelope. He read through the letters quickly, keeping a snort of contempt when he read of Lockhart's rather large amount of books.
"You also have a message from the ministry." She said, handing him an envelope with an official Looking blue seal consisting of two intertwined M's.
Harry opened the letter, reading through the text
Dear Mr Potter.
You are requested to attend the hearing of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange on August 19th, due to your relation to the events of June 22 and their subsequent capture by Aurors. You will be required to give a testimony of their actions on that day. Furthermore, we request that you also give a testimony of the events that led to the death of Mrs Bellatrix Lestrange, and the reported use of the unforgivable killing curse by your person. The trial is set to be held in Courtroom 10 at 10:30 in the morning of August the 19th. The hearing will be private, and you are allowed to have up to 4 people escorting you.
Sincerely,
Daren Darkwood,
Department of Magical Law Enforcement,
Ministry of Magic
"Oh" he said "Nothing important…I have to go to the Lestrange trial on august 19th and give a testimony…"
"Really? August the 19th? Oh, and we were thinking of visiting Diagon Alley on that day…Hermione is coming back from her vacation then, she sent a letter to us. I think it must be with Ron, he's up in his bedroom." She said.
"Okay" said Harry, darting up the stairs until he came to Ron's door.
"Hey mate!" said Ron "Where were you all day?"
"Oh, I was just battling some gigantic monsters up in Scotland trying to find some dark artefacts." Said Harry
"Seriously Harry" answered Ron, not impressed by what he believed to be a blatant lie
"I got a letter form the Ministry" Said Harry, handing over the letter to Ron. "Your Mom said that you got a letter from Hermione…"
"Yeah…it's over there" said Ron, pointing at the bed-side table. "Blimey Harry, they are going to question you! You think they might put you in prison?"
"I doubt it. She did torture Neville with the cruciatus….and she was planning on bringing old Moldywarts back…I think that will make them ignore my actions…they would have probably given her the Dementor's kiss anyway." He answered, looking at the letter. "She says she's coming over next Wednesday…that's on the 19th! ….think I should bring her to the trial?"
"Sure mate…can I come?" asked Ron hopefully.
"You are my best friend Ron…I think I'll take you, Ginny, Hermione and your dad."
"Why does Ginny get to come?" asked Ron, who was still a little unhappy with Ginny becoming a part of their group.
"Because I said so, and I want no argument from you!" said Harry, sending a glare in Ron's direction.
"You know Harry, you resemble mum when you talk like that."
"Well, it is very effective in making you stop arguing with me." Said Harry, ducking the pillow that came immediately after.
The ensuing pillow-fight kept the boys occupied until Mrs Weasley's call for lunch interrupted them, and they empty stomachs followed the wonderful scent of food to the kitchen.
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Cheers…Happy New Year!
See that button down there? It is asking for you to press it…come on…you know you want to…