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Chapter eight: Dumbledore's Plans
"What do you want to know Harry?" Fred questioned the youth.
"Well according to Pansy Ron's been acting funny and you two quit after two weeks of training. That seems awfully suspicious."
The twins grinned then frowned. "It was about two weeks into the training sessions," George started. "We had been learning the basics of dueling and were working to improve it. Dumbledore called all four of us in to speak with him."
"We didn't know what he wanted so we went ahead and went. He sat us down and told us that he had a favor to ask of us." Fred picked up after him.
"We were curious so of course we wanted to know what he was going to ask us. No one was expecting him to ask what he did."
"He asked for us to keep an eye on you two. He said that he was afraid that Remus and Sirius were teaching you and Ginny dark magic and that you could use it against us."
"To think you two would use dark magic, please. He said that he was afraid that Remus and Sirius were training you against him and Hogwarts."
"We would have burst out laughing had we not seen how serious he looked. Apparently you haven't been contacting him much and he is scared you are starting to go against him and the Order."
"Then he said he wanted us to keep tabs on everything you two did and to report it back to him. He was also afraid that you might be...well trying to pressure Ginny into things and that she wasn't thinking on her own free will."
"That was the last straw for us." George said in an angry voice. "We had known you since your first year and knew Ginny since she was born. For one you would never try to force anything on our sister. Secondly she would never allow anyone to force her into anything."
"So we told him that we wouldn't do that to our friend and stormed out. Moments later a very red Hermione came out fuming. She said she couldn't believe that insufferable git and said she agreed with us. So we have been training here on our own. We've even got Luna, Lavender, Neville, Blaise, and Parvati joining us. We couldn't seem to get ahold of you Pansy and Ron wouldn't help."
"We think that Dumbledore and Snape have been influencing Ron. We don't like what's going on with them either."
"Thank you two that helps us out a lot."
"Yes and I would love to join your training sessions."
"We can arrange that." George handed her a piece of parchment. "Those are the training times for you."
"Thanks."
"Where are you two headed now?"
"I have to speak with the Muggle authorities about our arrangements. Mainly what will happen to Lily, Karen, and Dudley. I am going to Sirius since he is my godfather."
"We see, well good luck Harry." Fred said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dudley Dursley lay on his bed in his room. His eyes were slightly glazed over as he was deep in thought. In the past few weeks his world had changed dramatically. The loss of his father had been a huge blow in itself. As a child he had been spoiled rotten by his parents. He had grown up with a hatred towards his cousin that he didn't quite understand. His parents had always been cruel to Harry and it only seemed natural that he did the same. Even as he got older his parents didn't care what he did with Harry.
He spent most of his time using Harry as his first punching bag. Harry was scrawny so he would mainly hit the bone. When they had first gone to school he hated being in the same room as his cousin. He was an attention seeker and thats what he sought out. When he realized that his cousin was getting more attention he had begun to threaten the kids who had been friends with him. It hadn't taken much to get them to flee.
Dudley had been proud of what he had accomplished. He made his cousin's life completely miserable. He began to get frustrated with his grades and his teachers and he used that to hurt Harry even worse. He rejoiced in watching his cousin suffer and made sure he would continue to get punished.
When Harry had gone off to school he couldn't have been happier. It meant that people would stop pointing out his cousin. His group of friends had altered over the years to the more bad boy type. To his parents he was the abosolute perfect child. In their eyes he could do no wrong. He used that as a way to gain a sort of independence from his parents. He snuck around doing whatever he had felt like doing.
It wasn't until he was sixteen that things had changed. The night in the park hadn't been forgotten by Dudley. He had just come back from one of his nightly strolls when Harry had caught up to him. Harry taunted him but he tried to ignore his cousin, knowing he could do magic on him. Then things changed in the middle of the Alley. It had suddenly grown cold and he felt as if the happiness had been drained out of him. He was freaking out and had at first thought it was Harry's fault.
Then he had seen the two figures. The feelings had gotten worse the closer they got. Harry had produced some white stag from his wand that attacked the two creatures. He was too weak when Harry had told him to run. His cousin had showed a surprising amount of strength to carry him. They met up with Mrs. Figg when they made it to their yard. They had gotten him inside when his father and mother began yelling at Harry about what had happened. Harry said they had been attacked by Dementors while on their way home. It wasn't until later that he had been told that 'muggles' weren't allowed to see Dementors.
He had gotten annoyed with his father at having yelled at Harry for saving his life. Vernon had let him go and it hadn't been but mere moments when a red head came bouding up the stairs and tackling his cousin. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy as he watched his cousin and his girlfriend. She seemed intent on being with him after what had happened to him. He had soon dragged her off to his room to keep his relatives from being hateful.
It was then that Dudley had realized maybe he had made a mistake all these years. Harry soon left and the house returned to normal. Once school had started he was not too thrilled about the annual field trip to the museum. He had wandered away from his group into the midieval section. There he had found a story telling about Merlin, King Arthur, and the Sword in the Stone. After having read that he moved on to a section on just Merlin. It talked about him being a wizard.
'I wonder if Harry learned about Merlin at his school. He seems like he was a real wizard,' he had muttered outloud, unaware of another prescence in the room until she had spoken. 'A real wizard?' She had said softly but loud enough for him to hear her. He spun on his heels to face her. His breath had caught. She was abosolutely gorgeous! She had beautiful long blonde hair and soft blue eyes. Her full red lips added to her magnificiant face. He could only manage to nod his head.
'I thought wizards and witchs weren't real.' There was something about the way that she said it that made him change his answer.
'They are real, I know for a fact and you do as well.' She had laughed and Dudley thought it was the best sound in the world.
'You catch on quickly. I am, in fact, a witch. How do you know they are real?'
'My cousin is one. He goes to...Hogwarts I believe is what he said. Shouldn't you be in a school?'
'My mother fought the Ministry to keep me home. She hates the headmaster at Hogwarts and she didn't want me to go to a foreign school. Who is your cousin?'
'Harry, Harry Potter.' Her eyes had gone wide at this announcement. Things had progressed slowly from there. It had taken him a while to open up to her and tell her the truth about Harry's life. She had been positively livid with him and he really thought she would hex him. They had talked at length about things and she made him promise to apologize for what he had done to his cousin. After he had done that she had explained Harry's role in the wizarding world. He had never realized his cousin had had to deal with so much in his life. His cousin was an extremly remarkable person.
He learned about his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, and how he had saved her life when she was in her first year. Dudley heard about his last year at school. The tri-wizard tournament had seemed like something he would never have dreamed of entering himself. Harry had been entered somehow and had to go through it all. It was during that time that he began dating her. She told him about how he had saved another boys life by keeping him safe from Voldemort, who had been reincarnated. Jamie had explained that he was the one who had killed Harry's parents and how Harry had managed to reduce him to a almost lifeless state.
When he had brought her home the first time he was surprised at their reaction to his announcement. They had yelled and said such hateful things to her that he had lost his temper and yelled back. Jamie had slowly calmed him back down and told his parents that she had no intention to stop seeing him. She liked him a lot and she didn't care if they approved or not. Once she had left he told his parents he was ashamed of them and then berated them about their treatment of Harry. Jamie continued to come over but only when his father was at work. She had befriended his mother and she enjoyed the young woman's company.
Then Harry and Ginny had come. He had kept his promise to apologize and Ginny seemed cold to him. He didn't blame her in the least for it and eventually she did become friends with him. She had even protected him when his father was killed. Her and Jamie had been the ones who stood by his mother when she was being attacked at the funeral. She was completly dedicated to Harry and he had never seen his cousin so happy. The two were practically made for each other. There was a light in thier eyes that he had seen in his and Jamie's, it was pure love. Ginny had proved her love and dedication to Harry over and over again as he did the same for her.
Jamie shifted and turned to look up at him. He smiled weakly down at her. She tilted her head and smiled at him, making him laugh. She rotated completly around and wrapped her legs around his and her arms around him. Her fingers played with the hair on his neck.
"Glad to see you are awake, how are you feeling?" Her voice was light and full of concern and love.
"Not to good but doing a bit better," he told her honestly.
She kissed him lightly and stretched against him. "The adoption people should be here soon."
He groaned. "Those people are such a pain. I don't see what they plan to do with me."
"Hopefully nothing," she mumbled. He smiled down at her and held her close. Dudley was very glad that Harry had been helping him work out. He had lost his fat and it was now turned into muscle. Jamie was very pleased with the end result and had a tendency to run her hands across them like she did now. Her hands made their way under his shirt and up his chest. He shivered at the contact and she smirked. She leaned forward and gently kissed his neck, moving slowly up his neck. Dudley groaned and ran his hands over her back.
The doorbell rang and both of the teens groaned. "Horrible timing," Jamie said annoyed as she got out of his bed. The two of them made their way into the kitchen where Ginny, Molly, Sirius, Anna, and two men sat. Lily and Karen were sitting close to Ginny, who had an arm around each girl.
"Where is the other young man?" One of the two men asked.
"He's upstairs and he will be down in a minute," Ginny said promptly. They heard a loud thunk before a door opened.
Harry and Pansy came down the stairs and Harry pointed her in the direction of where Draco lay. Harry smiled as he entered the kitchen. "Good evening gentlemen."
"Hello Mr. Potter. My name is Mr. Cormis and this is my partner Mr. Delose."
"What can we do for you?" Sirius asked.
"We have come to speak about the new arrangements for Mr. Potter, Mr. Dursley, and the twins."
"Well I can assure you that Mr. Potter is well taken care of. As his godfather I have legal custody of him."
"Then we will ask no more on the situation," Mr. Cormis continued. "However, we need to make suitable arrangements for Mr. Dursley."
"Excuse me sir," Dudley said quietly. "But I am at the age of seventeen and I only have another ten months until I turn eighteen and of legal age. My parents left me with a small fortune and the house as well. I could easily get a job and continue my school and just be checked on every three months by the agency. I know of another who has done this and I will have a place to live, a job to support myself."
The two men looked at each other for a moment. "That wouldn't be a bad idea. As long as you are working and in school then we will have no troubles."
"Now as for the girls, what plans do you have for them?" Mr. Delose stated. "I have prior information that they have already been subjected into foster care and were pulled out a few days ago by their mother shortly after their father's death."
"That is correct. My aunt felt the need to take them out of foster care. I was informed that if anything should happen to them that I would be named their legal guardian. I may only be fifteen and I turn sixteen in three days but as long as my legal guardian approves I am liable to adopt them." Harry stated in a calm voice. "It would solve all the paperwork and it allows you not to have to place them back into foster care."
"We had checked the wills of both parents and it clearly states that you would be taking legal custody over them. It's highly unusual for someone so young to take over custody but like you said, as long as your legal guardian approves then there will be no problems in taking them."
"I approve of this action. The children need to be with what family they have and that would be Harry and Dudley," Sirius said to the two men.
"Then I just need confirmation of this. I need both of you to sign here," Mr. Delose stated.
"I also need Dudley to sign this so he can continue to live here. You have two weeks to find a job and at the end of those two weeks a social worker will be by to check up on you," Mr. Cormis told him.
All three nodded and quickly signed the papers. After they bid them farewell they all moved back into the kitchen. Harry collapsed in the seat Ginny had been in and she sat down in his lap. The girls had taken up their previous seats. Harry slowly ran his hands through both girls hair, trying to give them some sort of comfort. Ginny lay back against him, her arms around his waist.
"Well this has been too long of a day," Jamie mumbled as she hugged Dudley.
"Indead it has," Molly murmured.
"What do you plan on doing Harry? You can come back with Anna and I or I will allow you to stay here from now on."
"I think I would prefer to stay here Sirius. This has been my home for the last fifteen years and I believe it would be for the best. We can fix up the girls room a bit more for them to stay in."
"I think I will stay here for another couple of days before I go home myself," Molly said after moment.
"Are you sure Mum? You've been here a lot lately I am sure the boys miss your cooking."
"They will be fine. Right now I need to keep an eye out and make sure you all get back on your feet."
Everyone nodded their head at this. "Come on you two you need to get some sleep, as do you," Ginny said to Karen, Lily, and Harry. All three groaned making the whole room laugh. "Off to bed with you!" Ginny ushered them out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
After another twenty minutes they left the girls, who were now fast asleep, in their newly furnished room. Harry and Ginny made their way back to their room. Ginny changed into her usual night attire while Harry climbed into their bed. She closed the door and flipped off the lights before crawling into bed with him. Her arms wrapped around his waist as he rested his forehead against hers.
How are you holding up? She asked tentively.
As well as I can be I suppose. It shouldn't have happened Ginny. It just shouldn't have. Ginny brushed the tears from his eyes and kissed his forehead. I should have done something, anything. They shouldn't have died, no one should have died because of this. The pain he was going through was flowing between them and she could feel the tears burning her eyes. I let them down, I was supposed to protect them. I failed.
Harry! You didn't fail you did all you could. That's all that matters. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. If anyone should be blamed it should be Voldemort. Ginny shifted more and pulled Harry into her, where he cried into her neck. She stayed that way until he had cried himself to sleep. Ginny continued to stay awake after he fell asleep. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair hoping to fend off any nightmares he had. "I love you Harry," she whispered just before her eyes closed and she too drifted off into sleep.
A/N: This is IMPORTANT news that I think you as my readers should at least know. There are some definite problems at my house that have only seemed to intensify and I fear that I will not have access to my computer much longer if things persist but I promise I am taking steps to insure that you all will continue to get my story. After I get my chapters edited I will be e-mailing the chapters to my sister telling her how to post my chapters so that you can read it. If there was any way around this I would do it in a heartbeat but things here have escaladed and I pray I won't be in this house much longer. No worries I will always find a computer and a way to write (I love writing too much and this story) I felt that you all deserve to finish reading this story and so I will make sure you can. I may my computer within the next few days so Sorry I can't do anything about it. Thank you all for reading and reviewing it means a lot to me. So sorry again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
