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Fifth Chapter.
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Don't own Harry Potter.
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Put on Naruto OST-Kakashi's theme
'Here I am in a court filled with people who barely know me, and more than a few want to kill me.' A bark was the reply he got. 'There is your soon-to-be wife, wearing things that you would rip off if this goes well.' Another bark. 'I think that woman is eyeing me. What do you think?' He subtly pointed at the blonde-haired woman that was looking at him with something... indescribable in her eyes. Another appreciative bark followed, 'Damn those breasts are huge.' He said, as she purposefully loosened two buttons on her shirt to make them visible, Another sensual bark followed.
'You said you lost your virginity when you were my age right?' A nod.
'...Lucky bastard.' A smug expression on the dog's face. A boy, same age as Harry, with dark brown hair and unusual silver eyes elbowed him in his ribs.
'Pay attention, Potter.' He said in an amused tone.
'They're talking some things I don't even know the meaning of. There's no point.' Harry replied.
'I don't either. But Madam Bones looks like she's going to kill you.' the boy replied.
Indeed she was, in between talking about the reason she had gathered them all here, she was subtly sending both him and Sirius some glares. She probably had noticed both of them ogling the blonde. Damn, she was probably going to kill them, but the blonde was too... sexy to resist.
'...Oh well, I'll deal with her later.' He said dismissively.
'I'm beginning to think all redheads, while kind and nice, can be downright scary when need to be.' the boy said. Harry smirked at him.
'I'll bet a thousand Galleons that you will end up with a redhead, Nott.' Harry said with a sly smirk on his face.
Theodore Nott scoffed, 'Hmph, fat chance of that happening. But I'll take that bet, Potter.' He said with a smirk, shaking Harry's hand. They both had known each other from Hogwarts. Last year actually, in Care of Magical Creatures class. Theodore wasn't like other Slytherins, he knew how to have fun, and had some devious ideas that would give the twins a run for their money. While they couldn't exactly be called friends, Harry attributed most of the fact to being of opposite Houses and the stupid rivalry between said Houses.
He liked Theodore a great deal more than most of the other Slytherins save for maybe Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis, two girls in his own year, and Aria Selwyn, a girl who should be in her Fifth Year by now.
Harry finally began to pay attention to the trial at hand 'I have records to prove that one Sirius Orion Black has not been granted a trial under Veritaserum. Here are the records that prove my claim.' She placed her evidence on the table against her.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore stared at the papers in shock. Not been granted a trial? He tried to remember his own thoughts back to the day when the Potters had been killed by Tom and Peter accused Sirius of it. He had been so sure of the fact that Sirius had been the one that James had chosen as the Secret Keeper due to their close friendship that he automatically assumed that Pettigrew was telling the truth. Now, when young Harry, who just so happens to be sitting in Wizengamot for some reason, and his two friends came to him with proof he had believed them purely on face value alone... okay, he probed their thoughts but it was for the Greater Good! He would never do that most of the time, but he had to know if what they had told him was true or not! Back to the matter, he had tried to find evidence but he came up with a blank. Sure, he could demand a trial as the head of Wizengamot, but everything else that goes in there was completely up to the other Lords and the people who held the seats. There were several open seats, the Potter family seat was something he held control over, but the rest were unknown as to who the heirs were and were null and void until there actually were people to fill the seat.
Lucius Malfoy stood up to say something but Amelia stopped him, 'I also have another announcement to make.' She said loudly and Harry mentally cursed. He knew what the hell she was going to talk about.
As if one cue, she turned to Harry and smirked, 'I would like to announce Lord Harrison James Potter, better known to all of you as Harry Potter, to take on his rightful seat in Wizengamot, as the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter.' Dumbledore looked gobsmacked, he had not even known that the boy had taken on his role as the Lord of his House. Hell, he didn't even have any idea that the boy had known about his full name at all! When had this happened? He had just assumed that Harry had pleaded to Amelia Bones the grant Sirius a trial, leaving the safety of Privet Drive. There wasn't any threat right now, but it was irresponsible of the boy to leave the house and take such a huge step as Lordship without anyone with him. He would have to talk to the boy later.
The murmur in Wizengamot had risen, Lucius Malfoy looked stunned at that declaration as did Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson. Even Cyrus Greengrass is showing a shocked face instead of his usual stoic mask, and that is saying something! Augusta Longbottom also looked surprised, but less so, she had been expecting the boy who was Alice's godson to take on his role as the Lord of House Potter. Arthur Weasley looked shocked too. He had no idea that Harry had taken on the role as the Lord of the House! When had that happened?
Lucius stood up, 'I object! There is no way that this is possible!' He roared.
Theodore stood up, 'And why not? No pun intended,' a few snorts followed his sentence, 'I am the same age as Lord Potter and I am the Lord of my House as well.' He stated looking at Lucius who glared at him.
'And that is also part of the concern, Lord Nott,' he spat out the word, 'you two are too young to even use a wand right, let alone be Lord of a House.' Theodore scoffed and glared at him,
'You are just pissed that you lost my seat, Lord Malfoy.' He spat out the word as well, and continued, ignoring the sneer on Lucius' face, 'as the last member of our Houses we are entitled to the role of Lord of the House when we reach sixteen. In case you have forgotten.' He snipped.
'Silence. Lord Nott and Lord Malfoy, please control yourselves. We are here not to discuss about the ages, since both Lord Nott and Lord Potter had seen more than people of their age should have seen.' Dumbledore's statement stopped a snide comment from Lucius' mouth and he motioned Harry to speak up, but Amelia interrupted him,
'I'm sorry to interrupt, Lord Potter, but I wasn't done yet.' Harry simply nodded, 'as I was saying, Lord Potter also holds a seat in Wizengamot, namely the seat of House Potter, and being the only heir of Peverell fortune he holds that seat as well, along with Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.' Now that little bit of information had completely stunned the entire court into silence. Harry doubted that even the space would be as quiet as this place now. Harry looked around and had to stifle his laughter at the piss poor attempt of Crabbe Senior to try and imitate a fish. He nudged Theodore and both of them sniggered at that, Amelia herself had to fight from smiling at that, while Dumbledore coughed in a poor attempt to hide his laugh.
'Seriously though, Peverell, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin? How did that happen?' Theodore asked him.
'Most of the Lordships are from my father, except Ravenclaw. The Goblins theorized that my mother might be from a long line of squibs that descended from Helena Ravenclaw and in turn Rowena Ravenclaw.' He explained.
Theodore nodded, 'I can see that happening. Most Pureblood families cast away their children if they are born squibs.' He said disapprovingly.
Harry looked at him in shock, 'Are you serious?' He asked horrified. Theodore sighed.
'Unfortunately, yeah. I have at least one cousin who were cast off because they were squibs.' Harry shook his head at the stupidity of the practise. So what if they were squibs? The same blood flows in them as well! They are still their flesh and blood, no wonder most of the Pureblood families are going extinct.
'Slytherin?!' Lord Parkinson demanded, outraged.
Amelia ignored him and turned to Harry, 'Lord Potter, if you would?' She said as Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He stood up and turned to the crowd, most of them were glaring at him, prime amongst them was Lucius Malfoy, Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr., Parkinson. Augusta Longbottom was looking at him approvingly, but Dumbledore was staring at him disapprovingly. Harry ignored all of them, instead gave them a bright, fake smile.
'Greetings, everyone. I am... let's see... Lord Harrison James Potter... Peverell-Gryffindor-Slytherin-Ravenclaw. The Potter part is obvious for those who don't know, the Peverell's are the ancestors of Potters, at some point along the line of the Slytherins and Gryffindors, they intertwined and mixed with Peverells. My mother, Lady Lily Potter, is believed to be from a long line of squibs from the Ravenclaw line. Does that cover?' He asked them, receiving dumb nods in return.
'..But..' Lucius tried to object.
'Lord Malfoy, Lord Potter has already explained his origins. I guess it is now our job to introduce ourselves for the sake of our newest members?' Cyrus Greengrass said to the court, and most of them snapped out of their shock and nodded, 'Well, in that case...' He motioned for Dumbledore to begin.
Dumbledore nodded with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes, 'I am Albus Dumbledore, the head of Wizengamot.' Harry nodded and smiled politely. He didn't dislike the old man, just... didn't trust him as much as he did before. If that makes sense.
Apparently, Harry had completely missed the fact that Fudge was there, or the fact that he was scowling... or the fact that he actually existed for a few blissful seconds when he realized that he was actually there, that is until he spoke up, 'I am Cornelius Fudge. Minister of Magic.' He said, trying to make Lucius' attention from glaring at Harry, and wondering how he was going to escape from this one.
Augusta spoke up next, 'I am Augusta Longbottom, the current Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom.' The old woman said, and Harry nodded politely.
Cyrus was next, 'I am Cyrus Greengrass, current Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass.' The man nodded at Harry, with a fond look in his eyes. Harry was surprised at the look, but nodded and smiled politely again.
Lucius stood up, with a scowl on his face, 'I am Lucius Malfoy,' He emphasized the last name, 'current Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy.' He said glaring at Harry, who simply smirked at him but nodded politely.
Crabbe was next, 'I am Jacob Crabbe, current Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Crabbe.' He didn't even look at Harry, so Harry didn't bother to look at him. and he ignored Goyle's greeting as well, seeing as the man was not even looking at him.
Parkinson stood up, 'I am Richard Parkinson, current Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Parkinson.' He said with a scowl on his face, Harry simply grinned at him slightly. Harry looked at Arthur Weasley next.
'I am Arthur Weasley, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Weasley.' He said smiling at Harry, he liked the teen. Though he had to wonder at how Molly might react to Harry taking up the Lordship, she already treated him like a little kid, as one of her own, and god knows that she didn't take Bill, Charlie, and now Percy leaving well. He could only hope that she didn't push him to put off the Lordship, claiming that he was too young. The last thing they wanted was to push the boy-no man too much that he would push her away, and that would devastate everyone in his family.
'It's very nice to meet all of you.' He stood up and bowed as it was the tradition to do so. Amelia nodded at that as did all of the Lords, it was in their training to do so, whether they agreed to it or not. After all, despite all their disagreements, it was a Pure-Blood law, and they couldn't change it.
'Very well, as I was saying...'
-SC-SC-SC-
'Mr. Potter. If you would present your evidence, we may continue.' Harry, who was trying his best not to fall asleep, suddenly woke up with a jolt when he heard Amelia call out to him. He never realized how much the Minister liked to go on, and on, and on for the longest of time. Harry was clever enough to realize that Fudge was stalling for time... which is stupid, considering the fact that this is a Wizengamot session. Beside him, Padfoot had already fallen asleep in a trial that would basically decide if he would be free or not. Yeah, it was so boring.
'Ah... yeah, here.' He said picking up the documents, not missing the way Lucius and Fudge paled when they saw that there was more than one document. One, maybe they could get away with... though it might highly insult the Goblins by basically saying that they had forged papers that were bullshit. Two, or more than that would be highly problematic. Fudge realized that he would not be able to do anything that could keep Lucius happy and his donations in line to his accounts. Lucius, who had practically made sure to keep Sirius in Azkaban so that the Black family fortune would go to Draco, and in extent the Malfoy family.
Harry had to hide a smirk when he saw the pale faces of Lucius and Fudge and picked up the first document, 'Here. The first document that was given to me by the Goblins at Gringotts, says,' Harry coughed and pushed his glasses in an academic manner, 'Sirius Orion Black, the current Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Dated as of August 8th. The Lord of House Black has been sent to Prison and if he was convicted correctly then the parchment should, according to the Goblins, say the name of whoever is next in line to gain the Black family fortune, which, and I did some research on this, happens to be Narcissa Cassiopeia Malfoy, née Black. And then to her son, Draco Lucius Malfoy.' He said pointedly looking at Lucius, who managed to keep out a glare off his face. He knew what the boy was implying, and as much as he hated to admit it, Potter was right.
Fudge, seeing Lucius face, decided to interject, 'I object! As right as this might be,' he shrunk from glares from all people, except those under Lucius' pocket, 'it is simply too late for a trial. Sirius Black is still a loyal Death Eater, and he betrayed you parents, in case you've forgotten.' Harry's visage became ice, as Fudge froze, realizing what he has just said. Harry's eyes glowed an eerie green, shocking many people.
'Thank you for the reminder, Minister. I really appreciate it.' He said in a cold voice, making nearly everyone flinch, 'and if you could keep your hole shut, I'll have you know that I also have proof that Sirius Black is, in fact, innocent and you've imprisoned an innocent man.' The room was silent for a long time, until it broke up into an uproar. Fudge looked stunned that someone would speak to him that way, but since he saw the cold look on the boy's face, he decided not to comment. Harry Potter would be better as an ally rather than an enemy, he decided.
'Order!' Dumbledore's voice cut above the others, making Harry wonder if the man was using some weaker version of Sonorus.
'Now, Lord Potter, that is a very daring claim to make.' Dumbledore said calmly, trying not to demand the boy if he really had some proof that could help Sirius get free, though he might not want Harry stay with Sirius, his conscious could not allow an innocent man hiding from certain death.
Harry smirked, making most people who knew her, remind them of Dorea Potter, 'That's right.' He said firmly, not saying anything else.
Everyone else, let out a collective twitch.
Amelia finally sighed, 'Lord Potter, can you show us this proof?' She finally asked, she just wanted Sirius to become free dammit!
'I can.' He nodded, taking a long time to enjoy watching Fudge and Lucius squirm.
'Then show it!' She snapped. Harry rolled his eyes.
'Keep your knickers on, Amy. Here,' He pushed a piece of parchment in front of Dumbledore, who seemed to shocked to even look at it. Harry looked behind him, only to see most people looking at him like he was an idiot. Amelia, however, was the most amusing, she looked like she might rip his head off... but it was still amusing.
'...Right...I'll keep that in mind, Harry.' She said, glaring murderously at him. To his credit, he simply rolled his eyes and snuck a look at a now awake Padfoot, who seemed to be giving her a wink. She blushed slightly, and sputtered.
Harry turned back and smiled brightly at Dumbledore, 'Can you look at it, Professor Dumbledore? I want my godfather free as soon as I can.' He said firmly. Dumbledore looked at Harry, but just then Harry decided to turn around and look at the people who began to yell in protest. Albus didn't think that Harry knew about his Legilimency abilities, but the boy had unknowingly avoided an attack.
'Godfather?!' Nearly everyone in the court yelled.
'Yeah. Problem?' He asked them.
'When did this happen?' Fudge asked, and was met with many blank stares, even from Lucius, making him feel a little stupid.
'Hmm... oh, I don't know, when I was born? You know it's just a guess.' Harry said sarcastically. Amelia was mentally groaning at the casual way Harry was talking. This was a court! Formalities need to be abided! Though the look on Fudge's face was worth it.
Theodore was snickering slightly, and Cyrus was also not able to keep a straight face. The boy was breaking all the formalities of the Wizengamot and looking cool as he did it. He shook his head, only James' son could be so cheeky.
'Lord Potter, this is a court! You are a member of it! Act that way!' Fudge yelled, quite red in the face. Harry looked at Fudge and raised an eyebrow.
'It also has resounding walls, so you don't need to scream.' Fudge grew even more red in the face as Harry slowly and systematically spat over the Wizarding courtroom custom, while insulting him at the same time.
Albus decided to take a look at the documents before Harry made Fudge even madder, as humorous as it was. Dumbledore looked at the parchments. He picked up one of them after a gesture from Amelia Bones and pretty much everyone else. Lucius tried to keep his face blank, thinking of ways that he could find a loophole in the 'proof' that the Boy-Who-Lived had given Dumbledore. Hopefully, it wasn't something concrete and he would be able to convince that this was all a farce of an attention seeking boy. He watched as Dumbledore's eyes looked shocked as his old eyes went over the words in the parchment. He could feel the magic in the Parchment... great.
'Chief Warlock, please read the content out loud please.' Fudge said, trying to keep his temper and not snap at Harry Potter. If word gets out that they had kept an innocent man for fourteen years in Azkaban then it would be really, really, really, bad for him. His tenure as Minister would pretty much be over.
Dumbledore managed to regain from his shock, as Harry slowly gained a victorious smirk on his face. Dumbledore looked at him appraisingly, and Harry looked around the court, watching their tense expressions. Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to smile as he read the contents out loud,
'The parchment here says that Lord Sirius Black has been chosen by Lord James Potter and Lady Lily Potter as the godfather of their only child, Heir, now, Lord Harry Potter on August 19th, ****, through the Ancient Ritual custom of Pureblood families called the Magical Bonding Ritual.' Lucius' naturally pale face now lost all color. There was no way for him to gain the Black fortune now, should, and it looks like he probably will, Sirius Black is set free then there is not way that he would ever make Draco the heir of Black fortune now. (A/N: The reason it says **** instead of the year is because, like is said in the first chapter this is a modern setting, I really don't want to mention a particular year, so you can imagine what you might like.)
'...And what exactly does this 'ritual' mean?' Fudge asked, skeptically.
'Do not insult our customs, Minister.' Cyrus Greengrass spoke in a very cold voice, making Fudge flinch, 'regardless of your views on the proof, you shall not insult our customs.' Theodore nodded his approval.
'Very true. These customs have been in place before your great-grandfather even thought about conceiving your grandfather.' He said, and Harry bit his lip to make sure he doesn't laugh and most people seem to be on the same boat.
'Ahem. Please, control yourselves, I'm sure that the Minister meant no insult by his statement.' Albus tried to placate, 'now, why don't you explain it to the Minister, Lord Greengrass?' he prompted Cyrus who narrowed his eyes a Fudge, but nodded curtly and stood up.
'The Magical Bonding ritual is one of the oldest customs in the Pureblood families. It is, in a way, a stronger version of the Unbreakable Vow. The ritual's reasons are simple, do not break the bond, and you will be fine. Should the bond is betrayed however, the consequences are severe.' Those who didn't know about the ritual were paying rapt attention by this point, 'Your magic is violently ripped out of your body. The magic in a body as you may all know, is everywhere. The magic is ripped so violently in fact, that your limbs stop functioning for several months or even years, if at all. This is the reason why the ritual is so rare, you simply cannot find a man or woman who would be willing to form a bond of that order. And if they do, there is simply no way to betray the trust of the person who they are getting bonded to or their blood relatives in any way, shape or form. Am I correct in assuming the fact that it mentions that Lord Sirius Black is bonded to Lord Potter, here?' He asked Dumbledore, who nodded, 'in that case, there is no way that Lord Black may have betrayed Lord Potter.'
August looked at Cyrus, 'Maybe he was under the Imperius curse?' she asked.
Cyrus shook his head, 'There had yet to be a case like that. Even if he was under the Imperius I seriously doubt that his magic would have survived.' He reasoned. He had his own godson, and the ritual simply prevents the participants from doing harm to each other or their direct blood relatives, namely, parents and siblings. That was the reason blood of each participant was used, to make sure that they never betray them or the direct relatives. He was not surprised that Sirius didn't know this, the man had a tendency to spit on some of the oldest laws in the book, as did James Potter, or any Potter if you think of it. It was obvious that neither James nor Lily knew about what the ritual contains, or if they did, decided not to tell Sirius or didn't have to chance to.
Lucius had sat in silence throughout the explanation, but decided to say something, '...Maybe he managed to get past it?' He said, and even he knew how weak it sounded. Theodore glared at the man,
'Lord Malfoy, your son has a godfather through the same ritual, and you should know the chances of getting past it.' He said glaring at Lucius, who ignored it.
Albus spoke, 'Quite right, Lord Nott. There is no way to get past the ritual, I highly doubt that even me or Voldemort,' He ignored the flinches, 'would get past it, let alone Sirius Black.'
The courtroom was silent until Arthur spoke hesitantly, '...So, what does this mean?'
Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle returning in his blue eyes, and turned to Fudge, 'That is upto the Minister, Lord Weasley. Minister Fudge?' Harry looked at Fudge seriously, no pun intended, watching the man go through several shades of red, white and purple. Fudge glanced multiple times at Lucius, who seemed to restraining himself from lashing out at Harry. He grinned as Fudge stumbled his way through.
'...'
'...And that, my friends is how I freed my dogfather.' Harry said as he folded his cards, grinning at the luck of never losing in a card game, while his friends looked absolutely gobsmacked. He laughed out loud at the expressions of Fred and George, who seemed to be staring at him in awe. While Hermione looked at him in a new light. Ginny looked at him with wide eyes, and her jaw was hanging off its hinges. Ron was opening and closing his mouth several times though no voice ever came out of it, finally he seemed to be coherent enough to speak out.
'Bloody hell, mate!' He shouted. Hermione shook herself out of her reverie.
'Language, Ronald!' She chastised, and Harry looked at her blankly.
'Really, Hermione? I tell you a grand tale, and that's the first thing you say?' He said dramatically waving his arms around.
Hermione blushed slightly, and answered him, 'Well, I just... I'm... just speechless.'
Ginny looked at him, 'And what happened after that?' She asked curiously, Harry perked up,
'Oh, yeah! After that Fudge declared Sirius free, and said that he would get the 'Kiss on sight' order off, or something like that.' Hermione smiled brightly.
'I imagine that Sirius would be very happy to hear that?'
'Oh, he was happy alright. He decided to shove his tongue down Amy's throat right then right there.' He said as all of them gogged at him, 'It's true, he kissed her right there, in front of the entire Wizengamot.' He said.
'...I just-'
'Harry!' The twins having finally regained their senses and realized that Harry Potter, their icle Harrikins was the son of Prongs, godson of Padfoot and friend of Moony, decided to speak to him.
'Son of Prongs-'
'You must introduce us to Padfoot-'
'And Moony-'
'Maybe they'll teach us their wisdom. Right George?'
'Right you are my decidedly less handsome twin!'
'So will you, Harry?' Both of them asked simultaneously. Harry blinked.
'Sure.'
'I'm not sure if that's a good idea.' Hermione said to him, while Harry sat down beside her, as he had stood up while telling his 'grand' tale. Gred and Forge... not wait, that's not right, Fred and George, were dancing in joy at the thought of meeting their heroes.
'Why not?'
'Twins training under Marauders?' Hermione asked him skeptically and cautiously.
'...Good point.'
'Why aren't they here, Harry?' Ginny asked him, trying to keep her blush off her face.
You see, Harry had gone back to Diagon Alley, despite protests from Dumbledore, brought a whole bunch of 'shit' as Sirius had called it. Harry reasoned that any 'shit' that can be useful is 'useful shit', and so, he had brought a lot of 'useful shit'. For one, he had thrown his old round, glasses into a garbage can... okay, looking back at it, it probably wasn't even a garbage can, and gotten himself some contact lenses. He and the woman at the shop had flirted enough to make even Sirius irritated, while Remus looked annoyed at the thought of another Sirius in there. Then after that, he had gotten the most 'useful shit', a whole bunch of clothes for himself, Remus, especially, and Sirius, who was just wearing some of Remus' old clothes. He had then gone back to the Alley and into a hair salon and wondered why he didn't before. His hair had been growing longer and even more irritating so he had gone there and gotten himself a stylish haircut. His hair was still a bit messy, and the stylist had told him to his face that he could forget about getting into control, so his hair was now medium length, compared to his older long length that was seriously grating on his nerves. (A/N: Alright, for you just imagine the hairstyle from the cover picture if you want. For those who prefer the realistic thing, instead of anime, think of Scott Eastwood's hairstyle...)
So now, his scar, which he had been previously been hiding under his bangs was now slightly visible, and his hair flayed around in the wind. He was now wearing regular blue pants, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket over it. He wore some brown casual shoes, and for once, they actually fit him quite nicely.
All in all he looked great. As evidenced by the fact that Hermione and Ginny blushed brightly when they looked at him, and most of them didn't even recognize him, other than Ginny and Hermione of course, which had warmed his heart.
'Yeah, I thought being a big Quidditch fan, Sirius would be here.' Bill asked him. Harry had met the eldest of the Weasley brothers last night and had to say, he thought that the man was pretty cool. The man was tall, lean with an athletic build with long red hair, and his dressing sense was like a freaking rockstar. Bill was also a rather nice guy and had some devious luck with women.
'Him and Amy are... celebrating. I don't want the image of Sirius in bed with a women, so can we move on. Please?' He said and there was a collective roll of eyes, even from Ginny, that made him twitch.
'It happens Harry. They are engaged after all.' Hermione pointed out.
'Hey, what's that you want to see your dad with your mom in bed, yeah sure, why not?' He shot, making her turn green.
'Point!' She squeaked.
'So you're staying with Sirius then?' Molly Weasley asked him, disappointment in her eyes. As soon as she had heard about his emancipation she had been going on and on and on about not being old enough, while the Twin stood behind her and saluted him. Of course, she had nearly suffocated him with her hug after seeing his new appearance, but still claimed that his hair was a bit too long, and that she would cut it later, to which his response was. 'Bitch please.' In very, very polite terms.
'Yeah, Amy, as she insists that I call her is staying with us. I can understand your concerns, but Amy is a reasonable adult. Much more than Padfoot anyway.' He said with a roll of his eyes at the last statement.
Molly brightened at that and smiled at him, 'That's good, dear. It's just that... I'm sure Sirius would be a good Godfather, he has also spent a lot of time in... that place.' She explained, and Harry nodded.
'I know. Good thing too, Amy suggested that we live in Potter Manor instead of the Grimmauld Place, the Black Family home. Another good thing, that place is like one of those haunted houses in those horror flicks.' Apparently, the Weasley's have seen a few horror movies on the large LED TV that Hermione had brought with her in her ever expandable trunk that she had bought in the Diagon Alley. She planned on sending it back using a Feather Weight charm on it with one of the Owls back to her parents though.
They had also planned on watching quite a few of them tonight as well.
Molly huffed, 'Oh, I swear, why you kids watch such things before you sleep, I don't understand. You might get frightened!' She warned them, and was met with internal roll of their eyes.
'Sure mum/Mrs. Weasley.' Was the robotic response, making her huff once again and go to into the kitchen.
Harry noticed that he was shooting some rather envious (read jealous) looks from time to time, and mentally sighed. He knew that Ron would not take any more addition to his fame or anything that made him even more special, well. But, more concerning, he found himself not caring about it. Ron was always like that. In Second Year as well, when most of the School outed him out as the Heir of Slytherin, Ron might not have believed them, but was surely second guessing himself from time to time. He had seen some frightened and wary looks directed at him from the redhead. Adding to the fact that he constantly makes him play chess, and belittles Hermione, made a complete and total recipe for a bad person.
But he was still his best friend.
'...So have you seen Potter Manor?' Ron asked trying to keep his expression neutral.
Harry nodded, trying to do the same, 'Yeah. It has my great-great... uh, some six greats I think, grandfather. He's been teaching me about Pureblood customs, and anything that has changed since his time, Cyrus Greengrass has been teaching me.'
Ron's eyes widened, 'Greengrass?! A snake?!' He shouted.
Molly, who had just arrived looked at him with a livid stare, 'GREENGRASS?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE TO YOU?! THEY COULD HAVE KILLED YOU OR WORSE! HOW IRRESPONSIBLE CAN YOU-'
'Mrs. Weasley.' Harry cut in, keeping his face carefully blank, 'Cyrus and my dad were good friends and my mom even tutored his wife, sometimes. They were very close.' He placated.
Molly didn't budge, 'Greengrass are a dark family, they would have captured you!' She screamed.
He narrowed his eyes at her, 'They are neutral.'
'THERE IS NO NEUTRAL! THEY ARE EVIL, HARRY! YOU ARE NEVER GOING BACK THERE EVER AGAIN, YOUNG MAN! I FORBID YOU FROM SPEAKING TO THEM OR THEIR DAUGHTERS!' Molly screeched, and Bill noticing Harry's dark expression decided to intervene.
'And who exactly are you to tell him that?' He challenged, making everyone look at him wide-eyed. Molly glared at her oldest son.
'Bill-'
'Bill nothing.' He said, 'You might think of yourself like his mother, but that doesn't change the fact that you are not. Harry is responsible, reasonably mature and is perfectly capable of making his own decisions.' He said.
Molly wilted, 'But... he's too young.' She protested.
'Not anymore.' He said with a smile at the young man, who smiled back, 'Greengrass family is in fact, a neutral family. None of them had been found to be Death Eaters.' He said with a tone of finality.
'Plus, Daphne's really hot.' Harry said.
'Here, here!' The twins said.
'Even though she might not exactly be my biggest fan.' He admitted.
'Here, here.' they muttered, less excited than before.
Molly tried to protest, but seeing no chance of any counter argument stopped and huffed once again. She seemed to be doing that a lot. The boy just had to see, there is no grey, there is no neutral, there is only good and bad, black and white. She would make him see that.
An old man, with a wrinkly face wandered into a large manor, bleak, gloomy and desolate looking. It was one of the houses in the village that have been mostly ignored by the villagers due to its appearance and the tragic story behind it. The man with a stiff leg limped on towards the house, and looked at the flickering lights in the upper windows and muttered to himself,
'Bloody kids again. I swear...'
The front door of the large house bore no sign of being forced, nor did any of the windows. The old man limped around to the back of the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took out the old key, put it into the lock, and opened the door noiselessly. He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. He found the door into the hall, and he groped his way towards it ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead. He reached the hall, which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows on either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs, blessing the dust that lay thick upon the stone, because it muffled the sound of his feet and stick.
On the landing, he turned right, and saw at once where the intruders were: At the every end of the passage a door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting a long sliver of gold across the black floor. The old man edged closer and closer, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond.
The fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. Then he stopped moving and listened, wondering who was in there and heard a man's voice speak within the room; it sounded timid and fearful. "There is a little more in the bottle, My Lord, if you are still hungry."
"Later," said a second voice, coldly. "Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail." The old man saw a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long black cloak, and there was a bald patch at the back of his head. Then he went out of sight again.
"Where is Nagini?" asked the cold voice.
"I-I don't know, My Lord," said the first voice nervously. "She set out to explore the house, I think..."
"You will milk her before we retire, Wormtail," said the second voice. "I will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me greatly." The old man inched closer to the door with his brow furrowed and trying to listen very hard.
There was a pause, and then the man called Wormtail spoke again. "My Lord, may I ask how long we are going to stay here?"
"A week," said the cold voice. "Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over." Quidditch. What a strange word, he had never heard such a word before.
"The - the Quidditch World Cup, My Lord?" said Wormtail.
"Forgive me, but - I do not understand - why should we wait until the World Cup is over?"
"Because, fool, at this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on the watch for signs of usual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles notice anything. So we wait."
The old man had distinctly heard the words "Ministry of Magic," "wizards," and "Muggles." The old man realized that they were something like criminals if they were using code words like that.
"Your Lordship is still determined, then?" Wormtail said quietly. "Certainly I am determined, Wormtail." There was a note of menace in the cold voice now, if the slight whimper from Wormtail was any indication.
"It could be done without Harry Potter, My Lord." Wormtail finally spoke.
"Without Harry Potter?" breathed the second voice softly before continuing, "I see..."
"My Lord, I do not say this out of concern for the boy!" said Wormtail, his voice rising squeakily. "The boy is nothing to me, nothing at all! It is merely that if we were to use another witch or wizard-any wizard-the thing could be done so much more quickly! If you allowed me to leave you for a short while-you know that I can disguise myself most effectively-I could be back here in as little as two days with a suitable person-"
"I know your disguises, Wormtail. And yes, I could use another wizard," said the cold voice softly, "that is true..."
"My Lord, it makes sense," said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now. "Laying hands on Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected what with Dumbledore and the rest of the Ministry-"
"And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder...perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Wormtail? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?" The voice spoke coldly, and Wormtail flinched.
"My Lord! I-I have no wish to leave you, none at all-"
"Do not lie to me!" snapped the second voice. "I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me..."
"No! My devotion to Your Lordship -"
"Devotion? Or Cowardice? You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. You know what your former friends would do if you turned to them, so you came begging back to me, asking for my protection in return for your service.' Wormtail flinched again. '
How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?"
"But you seem so much stronger, My Lord, not that you weren't strong before-"
"Liar," breathed the second voice. "I am no stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under your clumsy care, so shut your mouth, Wormtail.' Wormtail fell silent at once. The old man waited until they said more before the cold voice spoke.
"I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited fifteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail-courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldemort's wrath-"
"My Lord, I must speak!" said Wormtail, panic in his voice now. "All through our journey I have gone over the plan in my head-My Lord, after all Bertha Jorkin's disappearance will not go unnoticed for long, and should we proceed, if I murder-"
"Should?" whispered the second voice. "Should? Should you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry will never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and without fuss and no whining; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition that is not possible... come on, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us-" Wormtail interrupted him yet again.
"I am a faithful servant," said Wormtail, sulkily.
"Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement." The voice sounded exasperated for once and not just cold.
"I found you," said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now. "I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins."
"You point being?" said the second man, sounding amused. "I agree that it was a stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail - though, if truth be told, you didn't exactly know how useful she would be when you caught her, did you?"
"I-I did think she might be useful, My Lord-"
"Liar," said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever. "However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform..."
"R-really, My Lord? What - ?" Wormtail sounded terrified again.
"Ah, Wormtail, you don't want me to spoil the surprise, now do you? Your part will come at the very end... but I promise you, you will have the honor of being just as useful as Bertha Jorkins."
"You...are going...to kill me too?"
"Wormtail, Wormtail, why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the news that she had met you on her holidays, now wouldn't they? Wizards who are supposed to be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at wayside inns... am I right?"
Out in the corridor, the old man suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his walking stick was slippery with sweat. The man with the cold voice had killed a woman. He was talking about it without any kind of remorse and with amusement no less! He was dangerous-a madman. And he was planning more murders- whoever this boy, Harry Potter was, was in danger. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police. He would creep out of the house and head straight for the telephone box in the village...but the cold voice was speaking again, and even though his instincts were screaming at him to escape, he remained rooted to the spot listening with all his might.
"One more murder... my faithful servant at Hogwarts... Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet... I think I hear Nagini..." And the second man's voice changed. He then hissed in a way that seemed reminiscent of a snake, which was odd considering that it was definitely a man that was speaking. He turned to look around when he heard a slithering voice with the dirt on the floor, and found himself paralyzed with fright. Something was slithering toward him along the dark corridor floor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, he realized with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least twelve feet long. Horrified, transfixed, the old man stared as its undulating body cut a wide, curving track through the thick dust on the floor, coming closer and closer. Just as he thought about escaping it was passed right by him and he wondered if it was following the spitting, hissing noises made by the cold voice beyond the door, and in seconds, the tip of its diamond-patterned tail had vanished through the gap. The snake went over to the source of the voice and hissed at him, and he wondered if the man could understand it.
"Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail," it said.
"In-indeed, My Lord?" said Wormtail.
"Indeed, yes," said the voice, "Apparently there is an old Muggle standing right outside this room, listening to every word we say." A short, balding man with graying hair, a pointed nose, and small, watery eyes stood before Frank, a mixture of fear and alarm in his face. The face of Wormtail, as he guessed the man to be, reminded him much of a rat.
'Stand aside, Wormtail. Let me give our guest a proper greeting!' The old man's eyes widened as the man stepped aside giving him a crooked smile,
'Avada Kedavra!'
Harry awoke with a gasp, only to grunt in pain as his body landed on the cold floor. However, that pain was nothing compared to the pain in his scar, that ugly old thing in his forehead, which was burning with an intensity that he has never felt. He felt like someone had put a white-hot iron on his head. He held his scar and tried to rub to alleviate the pain. Harry let go of his scar reluctantly, and instantly wishing that he could remove it. What the hell was that?
'...Umm, Harry, Mum says breakfast is- Harry?!' A female voice sounded in his head, and it felt like someone was pounding in his head.
Harry groaned, 'Not so loud.' He grumbled, the figure came close to him and knelt down in front of him, and Harry recognized her, 'Ginny?' He asked.
Ginny nodded uncertainly, 'Are you okay, Harry? You're... on the floor.' She said.
'I noticed.' He said dryly, before gasping and holding his scar in pain.
'Harry? What's wrong?' Ginny asked placing a hand on his shoulder, and someone managed not to blush at the broadness of his shoulders. Her concern for Harry was more important than her crush for him, she reasoned.
'My scar?' He breathed, 'damn, it hurts.'
'Oh, umm, maybe I should call mum, okay, no, she would probably hug you to death.' She tried to joke, but Harry only managed a snorted. Harry took his hand away from his scar for a second, and Ginny noticed, 'There is nothing new with your scar. Only it seems a bit more red than usual. Not enough to notice though.' She said.
Harry frowned, "I see.' Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real... there had been two people. Two people he knew and one he didn't ...He concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember... The dim picture of a darkened room came to him...There had been a snake on a hearth rug...a small man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail... and a cold voice...the voice of Lord Voldemort, as he remembered from his First Year. Harry felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into his stomach at the very thought...
'Oh, well, umm, mum wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready... are you sure you are okay, Harry?' Ginny asked again, staring at him with concern in her face. Harry mentally applauded her for not blushing or stuttering... or putting her elbows into butter dish.
'I'm fine.' He said, trying to get up.
'Okay.' Ginny frowned, clearly not convinced.
'I'm fine, Ginny. Really. Just some nightmares, you know the usual stuff.' He said with a casual wave. Ginny looked shocked.
'You have nightmares too?' She asked and Harry blinked.
'Yeah, a lot of them actually. But I've gotten used to them.' But then he realized what the redhead just said, 'what do you mean, too? You have nightmares?' He asked her surprised. Ginny winced, clearly she didn't mean to say too.
'Y-yeah.' She said. Harry searched her for a moment before taking a guess.
'Second Year?' She flinched violently, but nodded meekly, and Harry cursed himself. Of course she would have nightmares, you idiot, she got possessed by Voldemort! He screamed at himself, furious for not realizing it sooner.
'I'm sorry.' She smiled a little painfully, making his heart clench.
'It's okay. I've gotten used to them too.' She said, and Harry felt like he was the worst person in the entire world. He had never felt so guilty before. He rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets and practically ignored her presence since then. What kind of a friend was he? Was he even a friend to her? Did she even have friends? She didn't seem like she did, most of the time he had seen her, it was only with Hermione. He felt even more guilty at the fact that rumors had gotten around that she had released the Basilisk in his Second Year, and that is why most people avoided her.
He had practically abandoned her when he should have been helping her get through such a traumatic experience.
Harry closed his eyes, and sighed, 'Ginny, from today, you are sharing our compartment on train every time we get on it. We are your friends and it was wrong to just ignore you. I'm sorry. I'll be better. Can you forgive me?' He gave her a pathetic expression at which she let out a shy giggle.
'There is nothing to forgive, Harry. Besides, it's Ron's fault anyway for becoming too cool to invite me with you.' She reasoned.
Harry nodded, feeling a little guilty as he did, 'True. I would not say no to making another friend.' He said, and she smiled, to which he was relieved that it wasn't a pained one.
'Sure. Breakfast?' She said motioning downstairs. Harry nodded.
'Sure, Gin. Be down there when I change... unless, you would rather stay?' He asked saucily with a wink, and was delighted to see that she blushed brightly, before stuttering out a 'no' and bolting out of there.
Shaking his head, Harry sat down on his bed.
The nightmare. Or vision?
He needed to write to Sirius.
Hope you like it. Tell me if you want to see Harry X Ginny, instead of Harry X Hermione. I've received a lot of PM's telling me to reconsider Hermione in the pairings. I'll make sure that the relationship is much more developed instead of being forced abruptly like it did in the books.
Peace!