When Harry and Tony returned to Grimmauld Place they were greeted by everyone in the dining room.
"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"
"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes. "There was no case against you, none at all…"
"Everyone seems quite relieved though, considering they all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling. Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went "He got off, he got off, he got off —"
"Settle down, now. I think there's more to this story." Remus said.
Tony shrugged, "They did it in front of the entire Wizengamot. I think it's because Lucius Malfoy wants Harry expelled. He and the Minister were talking after the trial."
"He got off, he got off, he got off —"
"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge, Dumbledore should know about this." Moody said.
"Mr. Weasley said he would send word to him." Harry said.
"He got off, he got off, he got off —"
"That's enough — Fred — George — Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast…"
Harry smiled and sat down at the table while Mrs. Weasley filled a plate for him.
"Hey Dad, why didn't the Ministry know about your magic?" Harry asked. "I shouldn't have even been charged with using magic in front of a muggle because Eric has magic."
"I think it's because our magic is different than yours. Remember, it manifests in a different way that you wizards don't recognize. It's how Loki is able to teleport to your school when no one else can."
Harry nodded, it made sense. Wizards only knew about wizards, no other sort of magic has ever been brought up at Hogwarts or in books.
"I guess they'll learn soon enough that there is other magic in the world." Harry said.
Tony chuckled, "And not just in the world, remember, we're not alone in this universe."
Harry smiled.
Tony bent down to kiss Harry's head, "I've gotta go Snake-boy."
Harry snorted at the nickname, "See you for Christmas."
Tony smiled and nodded at everyone, "Oh Remus, I did some redecorating at the Ministry." Tony said. "See if you can get it in a magazine or something. I'm releasing a new tablet soon and everyone needs to hear about it."
"Of course Mr. Stark." Remus said.
"Redecorating?" The twins asked.
Harry smirked, "I'm sure you'll see it in the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning."
/
After lunch, Harry went up to his room with Ron and Hermione.
"I'm surprised Dumbledore wasn't at your trial." Hermione said.
"I guess he was supposed to be." Harry said. "We ran into him on our way out. He said that he didn't get the Ministry's announcement of the time change. We didn't get it either so we were late. They tried adding that to my trial."
"No wonder Mr. Loki wants to take over." Hermione chuckled.
/
The next morning, Harry came down to the kitchen to find everyone awake and reading the Daily Prophet. The twins were grinning manically over their copy.
"Your dad is awesome Harry" Fred grinned as he handed Harry a copy of the paper. Harry smiled down at the picture of the Ministry fountain, the headline read 'Defacement of Ministry Fountain'.
"I must say, that's very impressive magic. I didn't know Tony was a wizard." Kingsley said.
"He's not really a wizard" Harry said. "He's a sorcerer. Or a seiðr user, as my Papa would say. Papa has been teaching Dad for a while now. He's gotten better."
"This is one of the best pranks ever" Fred cheered, hugging the Daily Prophet to his chest tightly.
Harry smirked, "I'll be sure to let him know you approve."
Remus chuckled, "Hopefully there is a magazine willing to print this. Without the headline. We also need an article that actually showcases the tablets and not just slander for vandalism." He gathered a paper and rose from the table.
"You should try The Quibbler, they seem likely to print something nice." Sirius suggested.
Remus nodded and left the room.
/
On the last day of the holiday, their Hogwarts letters arrived.
"Hey look" Fred and George appeared beside Harry. The boy didn't even flinch when the twins apparated into the room, used to their antics by now. "Looks like Dumbledore found himself a new Dark Arts teacher."
"It's about time" George remarked.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"We were listening in on a conversation between Mum and Dumbledore earlier in the summer. Apparently he had a lot of trouble finding a replacement teacher." Fred said.
"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" George said.
Harry nodded, thinking back through the list of teachers he has had. The first one died because he had Voldemort on his head, then Lockhart lost his memory, and finally Professor Lupin resigned because everyone found out he was a werewolf. The position really was cursed.
The three boys walked into the sitting room where Ron was gaping down at his Hogwarts letter.
"What's up with you Ron?" Fred asked. The twins looked over their brother's shoulder and their mouths fell open in shock. "Prefect?!" George snatched the envelope from Ron's hand and turned it upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.
"No way," he said in a hushed voice.
"There's been a mistake," Fred snatched the letter out of Ron's grasp and held it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect. . . ." The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.
"We thought for sure it would be you mate" George said.
"You do cause a lot of trouble though." Fred said thoughtfully. "That has to count against you." He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back, "At least you have your priorities right." He then turned a scathing look to Ron, who still hadn't moved. "Prefect…ickle Ronnie the prefect…"
"Mum's going to be terrible now." George rolled his eyes. "Another Prefect in the family." He groaned.
Harry took the badge from George and looked at it. A large P was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.
"Congratulations Ron" Harry smiled. Ron looked up with glazed over eyes and smiled shyly.
Right as he was handing Ron his badge back, the door burst open and Hermione ran in, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.
"Did you — did you get — ?" She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek. "I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"
"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. "It's Ron, not me."
"It — what?"
"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But…are you sure? I mean —" She turned red as Ron looked around at her with a defiant expression on his face.
"It's my name on the letter," Ron said.
"I…" said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I…well…wow! Well done, Ron! That's really —"
"Unexpected," said George, nodding.
"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no, it's not…Ron's done loads of…he's really…"
Before she could think of anything, Mrs. Weasley entered the room. "Ginny said your reading lists have come. If you give them to me, I will go to Diagon Alley to buy your books while you pack." She smiled. "Oh and Ron, I need to get you new pajamas, yours are much too short. What color would you like?"
"How about red and gold…to match his badge" Fred snickered.
"His what?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"His badge Mum, his prefect's badge." George said.
It took a short moment for George's words to sink in. "Ron?" She turned to her youngest son.
Ron smiled shyly and held up the shiny new badge.
Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh Ronnie —" She wrapped her arms around Ron and began kissing every inch of his face.
"Mum…don't…Mum, get a grip…" he muttered, trying to push her away.
She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."
"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.
"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"
"We've already bought him some," Fred said sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.
"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers —"
"Mum," Ron said hopefully, "can I have a new broom?" Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.
"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just — just a new one for a change…"
Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled. "Of course you can…Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later…Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks…A prefect…Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.
"Forgive us if we don't kiss you Ronnie-kins" Fred smirked.
"So we'll curtsy and be on our merry way." George said. They both took the sides of their shirts and curtsied before disappearing with a crack.
"Don't listen to them Ron, you'll make a great Prefect." Hermione assured with a warm smile.
"T-thanks Hermione" Ron blushed.
Hermione nodded, "I should go tell my Mum and Dad the good news." She smiled brightly and left the room.
Once she was gone, Ron returned his gaze to the badge in his hand. "I'm surprised it wasn't you Harry." He said. "You're loads better at stuff than I am."
"I'm only good at Quidditch, nothing else really." Harry replied. He would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. He had forgotten that Prefects were chosen this year; he was too busy worrying about whether or not he was being expelled. "I do get into a lot of trouble, maybe Dumbledore couldn't overlook that."
Ron snorted, "Hermione and I are with you every time you get into trouble Harry."
"Not every time." Harry replied.
"Maybe you'll get Head Boy. You never know." Ron said. A moment of silence passed, "I wonder if Mum will buy me a Cleansweep? I should go tell her." He rushed out of the room.
Harry sighed and walked up to his room. Even if he didn't become a Prefect, at least he wasn't expelled.
/
When Mrs. Weasley returned from Diagon Alley, she quickly decorated the dining room with streamers and banners.
"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, after everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"
Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them and then applauded.
"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato-red and waist length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."
"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.
"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks. A few people laughed
"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked.
Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual bark like laugh. "No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."
"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."
Harry smiled at the two men.
"Speaking of our younger days" Sirius took something out of his breast pocket. "This is for you"
Harry looked down at a photograph of a group of people.
"Moody found it whilst looking for his invisibility cloak. He thought it might interest you." Sirius said.
Harry's eyes quickly zeroed in on two figures standing towards the middle of the photograph.
"It's the original Order of the Phoenix" Remus said.
Harry ran his fingers along his parent's faces. "They were in the order?"
"We all were" Sirius pointed to himself and Remus standing next to his parents. Harry also noticed Pettigrew there, looking as shifty and uncomfortable as ever.
"There you can see Moody standing next to Dumbledore and Dedalus Diggle" Remus pointed to the three. "That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom —"
Harry's stomach, already uncomfortable, clenched as he looked at Alice Longbottom; he knew her round, friendly face very well, even though he had never met her, because she was the image of her son, Neville.
"They were captured" Remus said. "Tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, to the point of insanity."
"Is that why Neville lives with his Grandmother?" Harry asked.
The two men nodded, "A fate worse than death I say" Sirius said.
They were silent a moment before continuing the introductions. "Those two there are Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Molly's brothers. They were great wizards." Sirius smiled. "They were pranksters back in the day. It's where Fred and George get it from."
"The older man there is Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother." Remus said.
"Dumbledore has a brother?" Harry asked.
"They apparently haven't spoken in a while. I've only ever met him that one time." Sirius said.
Harry nodded. "Thank you, for showing this to me." He handed Sirius the photograph.
"No, no, keep it. Another reminder of your parents." Sirius said.
Harry smiled and nodded.
I'm trying to make Ron more supportive and less jealous cuz I do like him as a character. He's a good friend to Harry and deserves some good things happening to him.
Review please!