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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Midnight Duel

Harry was trying his best not to gawk at his parents. He knew very well how uncomfortable those stares could be so he did not want want to do that. But it was so difficult because it was his dead parents who aren't dead and they were smiling at him and they were sitting next to him and oh god his mother just patted him and-

Merlin, Potter, get hold of yourself!

A voice that sounded suspiciously similar to Snape snapped, and Harry forced himself to take a deep breath. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. See, it isn't so hard. It's just your parents. No need to freak out. Just act normal. Everything's going to be fine. Act casual. Nothing's wrong-

"Are you alright, Harry?"

All of his calm posture flew out of the window when Lily looked at him in the eye, concern evident on her beautiful face. So unlike Aunt Petunia's. Part of his mind mused absentmindedly, while the rest completely froze. Useless brain! Why couldn't he think of anything to say? Argh!

"Uh, I'm fine?" Harry mentally cringed at how uncertain and lame he sounded. But dead people suddenly coming back to life wasn't an everyday occurrence and it was really mind blowing. Especially when that dead people were his parents. It wasn't like he could just forget the fourteen years thay he lived without them and act they were with him the whole time. There were just too many things happened during that time and he didn't know how to act. Sure, he always wished for second chance with his parents but he wasn't really thinking about his parents popping up in the middle of reading his life to the entire Wizarding World!

Unknown to him, his parents were thinking the exactly same thing. Lily frowned slightly at how her son was thinner than average teenagers and couldn't help but feel suspicious of her sister's family. It hurt to even think about her own sister abusing her son but she knew how deep her hatred was towards anything related to magic. I guess I'll fond out how deep her resentment is. Lily thought, sighing sadly.

James was less composed than Lily. He fiddled with the front of his shirt, glancing every now and then at Harry, only to immediately look elsewhere. Harry felt self-conscious because of that and tried not to let his discomfort show. The last thing he needed was making his father think he didn't like him. Finally, Sirius had enough with the tension that spread over them and decided to break the ice.

"Alright. James, you've got to stop looking at Harry like that. It's even making me feel creepy. And Lily, don't look at Harry like he'll drop dead any moment. I know he's kinda thin thanks to someone," he glared viciously at the Dursleys "But you can feed him later, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to assist you in that case." Harry gulped at the looks that appeared on his friends' faces. Oh, great. His overprotective parents and friends are going to join forces. He just knew from now on, he would get locked up in the Hospital Wing even for a bloody paper cut. Oh, joy.

Fortunately, Lily took pity of him and gently ruffled his hair. The gesture made him scrunch his nose but couldn't help but lean into her. It felt so nice, knowing he had his parents to count on. He could spend time with them now like every other kids and he could even get away from the Dursleys! He could already picture himself in a comfy house with his parents, Remus and Sirius, Weasleys and his friends surrounding him. Don't get your hopes up. There's a chance that the Ministry or Dumbledore would try to stop you from leaving the Dursleys. Ministry is an idiot and Dumbledore is Dumbledore. Who knows what the old man has in his mind? His parents coming alive could not be permanent and-

Just then, Lily rubbed soothing circles on his back, enjoying her son's company. Oh, screw it all. I am going to live with my parents and that's final. Harry declared in his mind, subconsciously leaning into his mother's embrace. Lily's eyes sparkled with delight as she felt her son relax his tense muscle. She hummed as she ran her hand through Harry's messy locks. James grinned as well as he saw them and clutched his son's hand for the first time in fourteen years. At first, he was half-worried he would shake him off but Harry only held it tighter as if he'll never let go of it. Others looked fondly at the united family who were oblivious of the world around them.

[Page 153 - Flying lesson would be starting on Thursday - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.]

"Yes! We get to listen to Harry's first Flying lessons!" Oliver cheered, whooping loudly. "Just you wait, my seeker is going to blow your minds. I just know it!"

"Oliver, technically he's no longer 'your seeker'." Angelina deadpanned, but couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. Well, Oliver's enthusiasm was certainly addicting and after all, Harry was really good at Quidditch. Who knows what kind of stunts he pulled in his first lesson? She knew as a fact it wasn't going to be normal since right after that lesson Harry got the seeker place.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean Harry's your seeker?" James looked around in confusion. Sirius let out a bark of laughter, clapping his shoulder. "Harry's the Gryffindor seeker! The youngest house player in century, in fact."

"That's brilliant!" James literally radiated delight, bouncing up and down in his seat. "I bet he's the best flyer in the world! Oh, I can't wait to see him fly and play Quidditch together! Hey, we can make our own team! Us, the Potter family, Sirius, Remus-"

"Nope. I'll pass."

"Fine, then. Not Remus and the Weasleys! You do know how to play, right?"

"Charlie was the Quidditch Captain, Fred and George are beaters and Ron and Ginny are pretty good as well."

"Great! Perfect! Fantastic! Absolutely wonderful!"

Lily had to literally wrestle her hyper-energetic husband into his seat so he wouldn't literally bounce around the hall, accidentally knocking himself out or injuring himself or the others. It wasn't only him who was excited. Sirius and Charlie also looked eager to get back on their brooms and the other Weasleys were grinning in anticipation. Harry reacted like his father, acting like they ate too much sugar at once but thankfully he was much more composed than James.

"Hey, how about a contest on who's the best flyer? James Potter or Harry Potter?" Sirius called out, grinning as people immediately began to bet - well, people who believed he was innocent and not a murderer.

"One galleon on Harry!"

"Two for Harry Potter!"

"Same here!"

"Hey, not fair. Why does everyone bet on Harry and not me?" James pouted sullenly and Lily patted his arm sympathetically. "Well, they didn't see you on a broom before. We were dead before this whole incident. There's also the fact that this is Hogwarts where students most likely saw Harry's flying skills a lot. But don't get discouraged, hon. You can do this."

"Of course I can. I'm James Potter." He proudly puffed up his chest, good mood instantly returning.

"He can't really do it." Lily whispered to her son, smothering her giggles. "I didn't actually see you flying before but seeing how Sirius and Remus are betting on you - and you should never bet against Sirius - I'm sure you'll beat your father. Besides, I have a feeling you are a great flyer and my hunches are almost never wrong."

"Thanks." Harry grinned, relishing every moment with his family.

[Page 159 - He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down...and he topples gently on to the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.]

James whooped as he cheered loudly with the Quidditch fans. "That's my son! He's got great talent. He's absolutely natural at this!"

Lily, on the other hand, wasn't so enthusiastic as she was busy convincing her heart to keep working and not stop. Harry, noticing her panic, hurriedly fetched a Calming Draught for her to drink, which she did in one gulp. After her heart rate slowed down at more manageable speed, she managed to gasp out, "Oh my gods!"

"Come on, Lily. You've got to admit, Harry's absolutely amazing!" James grinned, pumping his fist in air as Harry successfully caught Neville's Remembrall. The raven-haired teen blushed at the compliment, ducking to hide his face from view. "I mean, I see now why people are betting on him. He's brilliant!"

"Brilliant? He could have broke his neck! He didn't have any professors near him to heal him properly and he didn't listen to his professor's order and he, he," She broke off, panic fully-rising. "He could have died!"

"Agreed." Remus said weakly, emptying his own vial of potion. "But I have to warn you, Lily. I didn't watch him play much and the only time I did, he fell out of his broom because of the dementors. I know, absolutely dangerous, but I'm willing to bet that wasn't the most life-threatening situation he encountered. So, as much as I don't like it, you have to get used to it."

Lily, who had turned deathly pale as she heard him talk, whirled around to face her son. She dragged him right next to her, firmly hugging him as close to her as possible with her arm. "You are not to get out of my sight and if you really have to, you need to have at least two people that I trust who are capable of defending and curing you. Am I understood? Good."

"But-" Harry started to object only to be cut off by Ron. He shook his head, completely understanding him. "I know mate, but just don't. I know a lot about over-protective mother and one of the things you shouldn't do is protesting. They'll only get even more paranoid and won't let you out of their sights for even one second. Trust me on this, alright?"

"Fine." Harry grumbled but despite how he sounded, he felt over-joyed that his mother was worried about his well-being and took actions to prevent him getting hurt. But he still thought she was being too extreme.

[Page 161 - "Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker.]

"So that's how you became a Seeker?"

"Yeah. It was all thanks to Malfoy." Harry shrugged, grinning. He smirked cheekily at Draco who was fuming silently. Astoria was quietly giggling behind her hand, amused that when Draco was trying to expel Harry, he only managed to give him the Seeker spot even though he was too young to play. Blaise and Theodore also looked amused at their friend's misfortune though they were more skilled at hiding it.

"Well, you've tried your best. That's what it matters, yes?"

"Besides, you didn't even get detention for that. That should count as something."

"Shut it you two." Draco grumbled darkly and this time the two Slytherins couldn't hold back all of their chuckles of amusement. He half-heartedly sent stinging hexes at their directions which were deflected with ease. "I hate you."

"We love you, too." Blaise and Theodore chorused, dodging another set of hex from the grumpy Slytherin.

[Page 164 - "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel."..."Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling round. "I'm his second, who's yours?"]

"Ronald! You shouldn't have accepted his challenge. That was not Gryffindor thing to do, it was just plain foolish!" Mrs. Weasley lectured, frowning in disapprovement. "I just know you'll get yourselves into trouble because of this. I'm very disappointed in you, Ronald."

"Sorry, mum." Ron mutter, hanging his head in shame. "But at least I learned the lesson. I'll never accept a challenge ever again. Well, unless it's absolutely essential, but still."

"Yeah, we know by heart that we should never go to a Wizard's Duel. It's so dangerous." Harry grimaced at the memory along with Ron, Hermione and Neville. Draco cocked his brow at this. He always thought they never went to the trophy room or managed to avoid getting caught by Filch. He never had thought Granger and Longbottom accompanied them and by their reaction, he was guessing something unpleasant happened. Lily reached the same conclusion at the same time as well and she instantly went to 'protective mother hen mode'.

"You didn't get cursed, did you? Or did you run into something? Oh, Merlin, please tell me you didn't get attacked!"

"We didn't get attacked." Harry reassured her, though he added, "By a person".

"Okay, that's it. You lot will be grounded for at least a month if you go off somewhere after curfew by yourselves. Understood? Good." James shook his head, nicking some potions from Remus and Sirius for himself. Now he understood why his friends were so protective of them. They were absolutely essential when they were reading about his son's life.

[Page 167 - Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting..."I've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."]

"Merlin, Hermione, you tried to tell them to not break the rules and got stuck outside? How unlucky is that?" Parvati let out rather inelegant snort. "And Neville, too! He couldn't get in because he didn't knew the password. Fate must hate you two."

"And why on Earth did you follow them, anyways? Everyone knows Harry has really bad luck."

"Well, I didn't know it back then and I sincerely regret my choice. Gryffindor losing points would have been the last thing I would have been worried about if I knew what kind of situation I would be in." Hermione made a face, clearly regretting her decision.

"At least you had a chance to choose. Me, on the other hand, didn't even have that. I mean, really, the only thing I wanted was just get into my dormitory and sleep. How was I supposed to know the password would change while I was in the Hospital Wing? I really feel for myself." Neville sighed, glaring pointedly at the two teens in front of him. "I blame you for all of this, by the way."

"Hey, it was Ron who accepted the challenge and not me!" Harry jumped to defend himself, ignoring his friend's outraged cry. "Besides, if we didn't come out you would have been stuck outside all night with Bloody Baron passing by."

"Well, I prefer that instead of meeting him."

"I'm too old for this." Remus muttered, slapping away the other Marauder's hands from his prized potions.

[Page 172 - They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog which filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads..."It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."]

"Oh, no." Lily whimpered. Despite how weak she wounded, she was lightning fast and she managed to snatch some potions. "Oh, no."

"You, you-" Mrs. Weasley was also in the same state as she clutched her husband's arm for her dear life. "You met a what?"

"It was Hermione's fault!" The three boys pointed at the only female at once, overlooking her outraged expression. "She opened the door!"

"Excuse me?!" Hermione scowled darkly at them but they looked elsewhere, whistling innocently. "Don't you dare try to make this look like it was all my fault. This would have never happened if you two only wizened up and just told a professor about this!"

"You met a cerberus." Fred stared at them in awe. "How are you even alive?"

"We wonder about the same thing every single day." Ron muttered, skimming through all the life-threatening situations he and his friends encountered in his head. "Yep. We definitely should have been dead."

"Unbelievable." George shook his head. "You clearly are Fate's favorites though she surely has some wicked way of showing it."

"You, young man, are grounded." Mr. Weasley stated rigidly, still in shock to hear that his son had been that close to getting killed. It was like Ginny's first year all over again, only it was Ron's and he didn't even know about this for five years.

"You too, Harry." James declared as well, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Others, who were either aware that the teens were sitting safe and sound or were just thrilled at their tale, were eagerly trying to piece what Hermione meant by 'what it was standing on'.

"Maybe there a treasure?" Ernie guessed wildly, looking intrigued.

"I think it might be a door or something. You know, like a trapdoor that leads you to another place. I mean, Dumbledore wouldn't have just put that dog there for no reason. Maybe it's guarding something important!" Lisa exclaimed, pleased with her deduction. Her grin widened when book-Harry confirmed her thoughts. "Aha! So it was guarding the little package from the vault seven hundred and thirteen! I wonder what is that." She mused, lost in thought.

"Good to know some people enjoys hearing about this." Harry muttered as he failed again to convince his parents to not ground him or at least shorten the time. He was pretty certain one year of grounding just for that was really extreme and at this rate, he would be grounded for the rest of his life if his parents kept doing this.

"-and Sirius and Remus will be guarding you when neither of us are available."

"You mean watching me 24/7." Harry deadpanned, dodging a swat from Sirius. "I don't need a watchdog! I can take care of myself perfectly!"

"Except stopping yourself from being nosy and finding troubles." Hermione coughed into her hand, blinking innocently when Harry turned to glare at her. "What?"

"I don't find trouble. Trouble finds me!"

"Harry, if you keep complaining, we'll double the grounding time." Lily warned, pressing a hand over her chest, relieved all Gryffindors managed to get out alive in one piece. "Now quiet. If we have to listen to this, better get it over with. I just hope my heart can take it."

"Same here." Chorused the Marauders, numerous empty vials lying all around them.

Hello, everyone! I know, so sorry I didn't update for this long but I rewrote the previous chapters to show only the reactions. I tried to make it understandable but if there are anyone who are confused what is going on, do tell me so I can fix it.

So I hope this reached your expectations and please tell me what your opinions are. Good? Bad? Something to improve?

Thank you for reading and please read and review!