Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Mirror of Erised
"I told you, this is unacceptable!" James hissed, his eyes blazing in anger. "I will not tolerate that pink toad or anyone, for that matter, spreading around ridiculous rumor about my son and I will not hesitate to force every reporters alive on this planet to never write a word against him if I have to. From now on, no one, and I mean no one, will outright antagonize my son just because he was speaking the truth that the headless chickens that call themselves our Ministry doesn't like."
"But you must understand, James, the world is afraid and not ready to accept that the Dark Lord had returned. Surely you understand this fear." Dumbledore calmly interjected, trying to reason with the agitated man. However, it only infuriated him even more, causing him to pace furiously in front of the desk and running a hand though his hair, his dark locks sticking out even more as if answering to his dark mood. The members of the Order, who were gathered around the Headmaster's table, watched the dark-haired man as he spit out words in anger.
"Of course I do. Who wouldn't be scared shitless when they hear the most powerful Dark wizard had returned from the dead? But what I do not understand is why on bloody hell aren't they trying to prepare for the upcoming war so they would have more fucking chance of staying alive. But no, instead they stick their heads into sand and pretend everything is good because that would give them a temporary peace while Voldemort's out there recruiting his forces and all the Ministry does is coming up with these plain idiotic explanations of these so-called accidents and throwing insults at my son."
His voice had steadily risen during the rant, only calming slightly when Lily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Forcing himself to calm down, James pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, breathing deeply into his nose. "Just tell me why I can't persuade people so they would at least back off from Harry. He had enough crap thrown in his way, don't you think he deserves a little break?"
His voice wavered slightly at the end as he recalled how many dangers his little boy, barely a year old before he was cruelly ripped away from his parents, had to go through especially during his childhood. Right from the moment the little guy focused his big green eyes on him and garbled out incoherent noises, giggling all the while, he had vowed to himself to give him the best childhood. He had fantasied every toys, every affection he and Lily would shower him with and when they miraculously came back from the dead, they had learned their son's life wasn't even close to what they dreamed of. Now those Ministry idiots were ruining their chance to give him the love he deserves and James wasn't going to stand for it. He would take over Fudge's position if he had to but he was not going to just stand there while they ruthlessly step on his son's name.
"We told you, James. While we also do not like the Ministry slandering Harry and the Headmaster, Fudge is determined to make the public view them as nothing more than a two mentally unstable people who needs to be isolated from others and he won't allow you to go against him." Professor McGonagall said patiently, gazing sympathetically at her former student. James scowled and the Transfiguration Professor mentally sighed, knowing how stubborn he could be. "Who said I needed that idiot's permission? I do what I want and bunch of idiots who can't figure out what's true and what's not to save their life would have no chance of stopping me."
"We have no doubt you would ignore direct forbiddance from the Minister himself." Moody replied gruffly, his magical eye spinning around wildly for intruders as usual. "But Fudge won't be staying still as you attack him. What would you do if he announces Harry Potter needs to go back to the Dursleys every summer and he is forbidden to spend time with you? You've seen how temperamental Potter's relatives are and I wouldn't want to try how far their punishments would go with your son's well being at risk. Those muggles hate Potter. What would they do if they are left alone with the boy for the entire summer after this fiasco finishes? They would be blaming him for them coming here against their will and that prank Potter's friends pulled and I don't think any of you want to find out what their punishment for this would be."
A tense, horrified silence settled in the room as they thought about what the ex-auror just said. The Dursleys had no problem locking up a boy in a cupboard, giving him endless chores as soon as he was old enough to do it and starving him. What would they do if they were left only by themselves? All of them were looking aghast at the mere thought but it was nothing compared to the Potters, Weasleys, Sirius and Remus. James stood rooted to the spot, pale and sucking in harsh breaths as his tightly clenched fists shook with strain. Lily covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes blown wide as she turned into stark white color. Her imagination ran wild as it conjured up images after images of what her sister's family might do to Harry, her thoughts getting darker as it proceeded. Mrs. Weasley had to be supported by her husband as they both feared for their honorary son, desperately searching their minds for a way to save the emerald-eyed teen from such fate. Sirius was standing rigidly still, a low whine of distress making itself known as he trembled in rage and fear while Remus stood by his side, also stuff and deep, animalistic growl vibrating from his chest.
"I am not allowing that to happen." Surprisingly, it was Lily who recovered first, her eyes narrowed into slits and flashing dangerously. "I don't care what I have to do. I don't trust Petunia and her family with my son and he is never going back with them ever again." She declared, swallowing a hollow pain in her chest at the realization that she wouldn't be able to trust her own sister again, at least not fully. James squeezed her hand reassuringly, knowing how hard it must have been for her to admit that aloud. She suddenly felt exhausted, angry and frustrated that his son had to go through this. "How fast can we gain guardianship of Harry? Why do we even need those anyways? We are his parents for Merlin's sake!"
"Parents who had been dead for fifteen years." Moody, as blunt as ever, retorted, ignoring their flinches. "During that time the Dursleys were Potter's legal guardian and I don't think Fudge would be eager to change that."
"But surely he wouldn't dare to place him back with the clear signs of abuse." Tonks exclaimed, scandalized. "Even he has to see that this is beyond unacceptable. Surely there are laws against such action."
"It isn't often that a wizarding family abuses their magical child - why would they, when they are just thankful that their child is born with magical ability and not a squib? - so I'm afraid there are no specific laws for this kind of situation. Plus, Lily and James are still dead for all muggles know and they are going to ask some questions if Harry is taken by two mysterious individuals that just popped into existence. Fudge won't let Harry go out of his control and would do everything within his power to separate you." Dumbledore answered gravely, his blue eyes darkened with solemnity.
"So what? We'll just have to be a good boy and let the Dursleys take away Harry?" Sirius growled, looking every inch like a murderer he was accused of being. The Headmaster was unfazed by the hostility and gazed calmly at the animagus. "No. We will do our best to help Lily and James regain their guardianship but there is another major problem we have to be aware of. Severus, if you will?"
The Potions Master, who had been silent since the start of the meeting, stepped forward, his drawl filling the room. "Although Umbridge is monitoring the letters to keep out any unwanted information leaking out to the public, it is only a matter of time before she finds a big enough trouble Potter had gotten into that she would use against him. Sooner or later, it would be in the Daily Prophet and the Dark Lord would hear of it. I do not know if he would dismiss it unimportant and continue his attempt at the theft of the prophecy or turn to the book, seeking to find out the future. Either way, we have to be ready or our side would have no chance against his force."
Normally, James or Sirius would have retorted an insult such as, "and which side are you?", but due to the seriousness of the situation, they stayed silent, choosing to mull over the information instead. Lily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, meeting her childhood's friend's eyes squarely much to his discomfort, though no emotions were visible. She, too, looked uncomfortable but she flashed him a brief smile then turned to Dumbledore.
"So Voldemort's going to come after Harry, yes?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Well, then. Since there is no stopping the inevitable, I want Harry to have the biggest chance of winning the war and he can't have that if he doesn't know how to fight. So I want him to be trained." There were outbursts of protests that he was far too young to be burdened with such thing but she managed to silence them all with a single glare. "Voldemort's coming after him no matter what and though I hate this and want him to have a happy life, he might not even be alive if he doesn't know how to defend himself. I'm not saying he should be placed amongst us against the Death Eaters, I just want him to know how to at least survive when attacked."
"I agree." James squared his shoulders, daring them to object. "As much as I would like to, we can't stay with him everywhere he goes so he should at least know the basics of dueling and Death Eaters aren't going to drop dead, amazed at his skill of turning a beetle into a button. No offense." He added, the Transfiguration Professor nodding in acceptance. "I also want to know every information about what Voldemort and his cronies have been up to since we were...away." James finished lamly, still having difficulty in believing he and Lily had been dead and came back. Not that he was complaining of course but it still didn't make it any less weirder.
"I'll see what I can do." Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh, for once looking like his age. "Tonks, Kinsley and Arthur, try to see if you can get the forms on guardianship. Severus, update me on Voldemort's next move. The rest of you, keep an eye out for trouble and you," at this he gazed intently at Lily, James, Sirius and Remus. "Do take care of Harry."
"Of course." They answered, nodding their acceptance. He smiled, tipping his head forward in acknowledgement. "Well, then. Until the next meeting."
"Arrrrrgh!"
Harry bolted upright when a strangled scream shattered a peaceful silence in the dormitory. Well, not exactly peaceful. A loud music was being played and Harry scrambled to pick up his glasses. After finding the said object, he turned around to find his best friend sprawled on the floor much to his amusement.
"Wipe that smug look off your face." Ron scowled, trying to get up only to fall again because of how his legs were tangled in his sheet. Grumbling darkly to himself, he started to pull the blanket off from his limbs while the other boys gradually woke up.
"What's the fuss about?" Neville stretched, wincing a bit when his joints cracked under pressure. When his groggy mind caught on the music, he cocked his head, figuring out the answer himself. "Ah. He woke you up, didn't he? He did that yesterday as well. Almost blew up my ear drums." He made a face at that, rubbing his ear as he recalled the unpleasant memory.
Harry snorted, helping the ginger-headed teen to get up from the tangled mess of blanket. Ron scowled, kicking off the offended sheet of cloth off him. "How the bloody hell did you lot not wake up immediately when that music played, anyways?"
"We had to adapt to your loud snores for four years now. That music is nothing compared to your sleeping habit." Harry grinned cheekily as he narrowly missed getting faceful of pillow from his hot-tempered friend. "Come on, Ron. You can't just sit there or Umbridge will put you in detention and take tons of points if we are even a milisecond late. I don't know about you but I'm not pushing my luck."
With a huff, Ron pushed himself up to his feet, heading towards the door, only realizing he was only wearing his blue, worn-out pyjama and barefoot when Neville stopped him. "Are you going to walk out like that?"
"Ugh!" With a disgruntled noise, he turned back to change his clothes, noticing the other two empty beds, its occupants missing. He pursed his lips as he thought of Dean and Seamus, especially the latter and his blatant accusations he threw at Harry, but didn't point it out. Even when his mind felt hazy from sleep he had enough tact to know bringing up the reminder of whole Wizarding World disregarding him as nothing more than an attention-seeking liar was not a good idea. So instead, he got himself ready, complaining all the while about the 'pink toad with magic trying to ruin everyone's lives and more importantly their sleep' and how 'seven o'clock was too early for anyone to get up'. In the end, the two Gryffindors had to half-drag the ginger head so they weren't late for the reading.
"Good morning. Nargles will be very active today so you should keep all your precious belongings close to you lest it get stolen." Unsure how to answer that greeting, the three grinned at the Ravenclaw and thanked her for the friendly warning.
"What took you so long?" Hermione frowned, her plate already full of healthy food like people would expect from the daughter of dentists. Neville replied, reaching out for a pumpkin juice and a bowl of cereal. "Ron took forever to get into his clothes in his half-asleep mind. I mean, he's slow when he's fully awake, imagine him trying to do complex stuff as changing into his clothes when he's not full conscious of what he's doing."
"Hey!" Ron smacked the teen's head, shooting him a dark look and giving out a half-hearted threat. But unlucky for him, the others burst into laughter and he had to spend the next several minutes arguing with his siblings to 'convince' them to stop teasing him but it was more like shouting abuse at each other as loudly as they could. Harry grinned, slightly uneasy as he thought about what happened yesterday. He had mentally prepared himself for the looks he would surely receive but it still stung when he caught their stares, like he was an animal caged in a zoo who was to be gawked at. As if sensing his dark thoughts, his parents approached him, smiling and to his uptmost relief, Harry didn't see a sliver of disgust or weirded out look he had half-expected to find. Instead, their eyes were filled with warmth and affection and however corny it may sound, Harry was so glad that his parents did not think of him any less, if not more.
"Heya, sport. Sleep well?" James tousled his hair, letting it stick out even more than before. Harry squawked in protest, anxiously patting it to tame it with no luck. Lily smiled at the two of them and ran her own hand through his hair to calm it down. "Good morning, dear. You know, I think this is the first time I saw you so happy in the morning. You are usually grumbling to yourself about being woken up so early."
"Can you blame me? No one should be up before nine. Sleep is essential for human!"
"Oh, please." Lily rolled her eyes, retorting sarcastically. "You sleep too much to be healthy."
"Sleep is important!"
"You can't even wake up before eleven if no one's there to force you."
Harry laughed as he watched his parents bicker back and forth playfully, much like how Ron, Hermione and himself argued. Due to his lack of attention to his surroundings, he missed his friends shooting death glares and threats to anyone who openly gaped at him. Since the word on the prank on the Dursleys were spread to everyone, with one warning look, students quickly turned away to stuff their faces with food, afraid what they would do to them if they thought they are harrassing Harry. Their prank was practically a legend by now and they shuddered to think what kind of creative prank they would come up with for their next victim. They were incredibly protective of the emerald-eyed teen. Sirius was more than happy to show them more violent side of him to scare them off, ignoring Mrs. Weasley's reprimanding that by threatening them they were less likely to believe he's innocent. His response was to promptly turn into a dog and bare his teeth at kids, effectively frightening them. Mrs. Weasley merely sighed at his chidish behavior.
[Page 208 - Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban]
Ron let out a loud, gleeful cackle at that, griining so widely that it threatened to split his face in half. The twins exchanged wary yet curious glance, calculating whether they should ask their younger brother why he was laughing his head off just because they had pranked their professor a bit. In the end, their curiosity won, resulting to Fred cautiously probing for the reason of his laughter. By then, Harry was also snickering and to their shock, Hermione, who was the most clear-headed person, was giggling behind her hand as well.
"Ooookay." Fred drew out uncertainly, wondering yet again if the trio had long since gone mad. Well, considering how much they had gone into life-threatening situations, especially Harry, he supposed he couldn't exactly blame them for it. "So any of you up to explaining why the hell you lot are laughing like bunch of luantics?"
"Because of what you two did. Obviously." Ron rolled his eyes, only managing to rein in his laughter for few seconds before restarting again. George huffed, not liking even a bit that his younger brother knew something they didn't and he was clearly using it to his full advantage. "Well, we know that. If you need us to be more specific for your tiny brain cell-"
"And yes, we did intend to say 'brain cell' as in singular since you clearly lack intellect of more than one." Fred piped up, awarded by his youngest brother's squawk of protest.
"-to understand, we are asking why you are laughing just because we've jostled up a professor's turban."
"Exactly! You 'jostled up a professor's turban'." With that, the trio burst into giggles while the others continued to stare them with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. Remus frowned, trying to come up with an explanation to no avail. "I'm starting to realize there are so much things that you three has hidden from the others."
"You realized that only now?" Sirius snorted, fingering refilled vials of Calming Draughts that Madam Pomfrey had brought before breakfast. Someone had to give her a medal or something for being so considerate and not keeping the potions for herself. He knew he would have if only to have some extra for himself when they run out of the potions and also for patching up students - especially Harry, who was without any doubt the most frequent patient of hers - after they bang themselves up. Little did he know that the medi-healer had done exactly that, a bottle charmed so that it holds at least 2 litres of the draught though she knows perfectly that that amount isn't healthy and can be fatal. But she'd rather have it ready near her than get heart attack from listening to the dangers the three Gryffindors faced that was sure to be described in the book because she ran out of the potion. "I thought school was for education, not some perilous adventure full of three-headed dogs and Basilisk and dragons. What happened to being the safest place on Earth?"
"My thoughts exactly." James groaned, slouching against his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily. The three teens grinned sheepishly, not in a position to defend themselves. After all, most of the things had happened because of their curiosity. "What do you have against that professor? He must have made one hell of mistake for you three to hate him so much. I mean, you lot still say Remmy-" this caused a dark look from the said werewolf, which he skillfully ignored "is the best DADA Professor you've ever had even when you know his furry little problem."
"To be fair, all of our DADA professors were terrible." Harry grimaced, recalling them and their unique teaching habits. "I mean, it's not a difficult decision, really. Remus is the best out of them without a doubt. In fact, it's not even debatable."
"I agree whole-heartedly. As you know, I respect all professors but they were simply horrible. I can't even pick who's the worst." Hermione blushed when everyone turned to gape at her open-mouthedly. "What? I don't think all professors are holy and always needs to be obeyed like a god, you know. I can think badly of them if they give me a reason to, and they certainly did."
"If Hermione, the Hermione who worships every single professors and would even gladly take her own life if they says so, thinks Quirrell was bad then he must be dreadful. Merlin, I never thought I would see Hermione bad-mouthing a professor." Fred shook his head, honestly in awe. George nodded next to him, mentally congratuating themselves for pranking Quirrell. After all, if all three thought he deserved it, he must have endangered one of them or done something equally horrific and harming someone the twins cared was just unforgivable. They just hoped Quirrell hadn't hurt any of them seriously.
[Page 209 - So Malfoy, jealoud and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.]
"Excuse me?" Though the question was levelled, nobody missed the underlying fury beneath her words as she sat there, literally radiating rage. Draco gulped, recognizing that stony face and the icy posture from his mother when he manged to really anger his usually mild-tempered woman. Needless to say, the Slytherin knew he was in deep trouble and there was no way he would get out of this unscathed.
"Geez, mom. Calm down." To his uptmost surprise, it was Harry who had come to his rescue, though he was sure it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. No matter how self-sacrificing and noble the Gryffindor may seem to be, he wouldn't willingly try to save his arch enemy from the grave he had dug himself. It was most likely to save his and the other people around him's ear drums, which was a fairly good reason. From what he heard and observed so far, she normally wasn't hot-tempered but when it concerned her loved ones, you had to prepare or your ears will explode from the sheer volume of her yells; look at what she did to her own sister when she found out about her son's abuse. "I don't really care, and besides he does have a point. Would you call the Dursleys a 'proper family'?"
As quickly as she rose in anger, she deflated, frowning at her son, struggling to come up with appropriate answer but thinking of none. Harry grinned smugly, happy to see that no matter how angry she was, she listened to him no matter what. "See? There's no need to be upset about such small thing. Anyways, it doesn't matter now, does it? I mean, I have a family now, right?"
Harry winced, cursing himself for sounding so uncertain. He could feel the heat creeping up his face as he finished that sappy sentence and fidgeted as he waited for an answer. Thankfully, it wasn't long before Lily gathered herself together, her face lighting up in delight that Harry had actually admitted them as his family. Sure, they knew they loved each other but it was another matter entirely to actually hear the proof. She hugged him tightly, relieved that he only tensed a bit but didn't push her away and stroked his dark locks. "Of course you do, honey. We are all here for you."
As he watched the mother caressing her son's hair gently, Draco couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Although he received love from his parents throughout his life, most of it was in form of money and they had an iamge of pureblood to maintain so they showed as minimum of sentiment as possible. So such action of love and affection in public was enough to draw out envy from the blond teen. But he snapped back to reality when James scowled at him, not entirely convinced to let it go and leave him alone like his son requested.
"I will still have a word with you, young man."
He nodded curtly, knowing it would be little use to protest or attempt to defend himself. He knew a lost cause when he saw it and at least Potter managed to calm his parents somewhat. All he could do now was to be on his best behavior while encountering the Potters and hope like hell they don't see need for anything more than verbal lecture. He heard about James Potter from his father and how he was ruthless with his pranks when he really put his mind onto it. He shuddered to think what the prankster would have in store for him for taunting his son for years.
[Page 211 - "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."]
"Really, Harry? Stop harassing Hagrid. He already feels bad enough that he told you that piece of information." Hannah shook her head and let out a heavy sigh as she watched her friend Susan yell at the book. Honestly, as they continued reading the book, more and more people got so absorbed to the story that they forgot it had all happened years ago and the book-people could not hear them no matter how loudly they yelled their comments. She just knew at the end of the book, they would have trouble seperating the reality from what they've read and other people will look at them like they were crazy. Heck, she wouldn't be surprised if none of them were completely sane considering how nerve-wrecking the adventures could be. Couldn't Harry at least try to not describe the events so throughly? She groaned internally when she realized she was blaming the book-Harry as well. Ugh, this was not good for her mental health!
"What? I was hoping Hagrid would just tell us who he is so we don't have to go through all the trouble. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable library chairs are?" Harry complained, letting out a small yelp when Remus lightly cuffed him. "Ow! Oh, right. Sorry about that, Hagrid." He scratched his hair ruefully, as he felt guilty that he hadn't thought of what his friend would feel for that slip-up. Hagrid waved aside the apology, knowing Harry didn't mean any harm. He was just curious, though it was one of his wished for his curiosity to lessen for his and the other professors' sakes. Especially for Harry's family and friends. He didn't think their heart could handle all the stress from hearing Harry putting himself in danger time and time again.
"So that's why you three went to the library so much? I thought Hermione convinced you to study for exams or something." Neville tilted his head, his mood increasing that one of his inquiries of the three Gryffindors' actions was answered, but he still had tons of others that was yet to be explained.
"Ron? Study for exam? Never." Harry and Hermione dodged a swat from the ginger head, laughing playfully to let him know they weren't mocking him. "He and Harry are more of a outside type anyways. But I have to admit, that was one of the rare times when library failed to provide me the information I was looking for." The bushy-haired witch grimaced, as if just thinking about it caused her physical pain. Ron and Harry snorted, snickering at the memory.
"I remember you being so distraught, refusing to believe the library didn't have every answer to your question."
"Oh, be quiet, Harry." Hermione huffed, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
[Page 214 - "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"]
The wizards and witches had to wince in sympathy at the proof that Harry had received no proper presents for his entire life and turned to glower at the people responsible for it. Dursleys cringed when everyone turned to glare at them, but of course, Vernon, as proud and thick-headed as he was, didn't back up and glared back, refusing to be intimidated by these wizards. They didn't know what a big burden the Freak was and if they had to take care of him for a day, they would know what he had put his perfect family through and would gladly get rid of him. It only showed how kind his family was for not dumping him in an orphanage like he deserved. Some of his thoughts must have been showing on his face because the boy's friends were gathering around, whispering to themselves and shooting dark looks at him. He had to will himself not to show fear as he remembered what had happened to them the day before. He had no wish to repeat it again.
With the mood so somber and depressed, it was no wonder that it was Sirius who broke the mood. Grinning so widely that it threatened to split his face in half, Sirius thumped his godson's back, earning a yelp from the said teen. "And we'll buy you loads more presents! Just you wait until Christmas, we will practically drown you with them!"
"You don't have to, though, really. Don't waste so much money just because-"
"None sense!" Sirius swiftly cut off Harry's protest, the others voicing their agreements as well. "We'll throw a grand party with heaps of presents, a Quidditch match, magnificent Christmas tree and tons of delicious treats!"
"But-"
"Come on, Harry, just agree to it. Please?" James gave him his best puppy eyes which should have looked quite ridiculous on such a grown man but surprisingly suited him rather well. "Besides, it's the first Christmas the old mutt here," this drew out a squawk of protest from the animagus. "had for twelve years and the first Christmas we would all be present. What do you say, hmm?"
"I - oh, alright. If you insist." Harry rolled his eyes but he was secretly very pleased that they were so willing to invest that much money and time just because he never had a chance to.
[Page 216 - "It's an Invisibility Cloak"...'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.']
"Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods!" The twins immediately started hyperventilating, no doubt thinking of all the possibilities of what they could do with an Invisibility Cloak. Everyone had to shudder as they imagined what kind of chaos they would cause with the cloak in their posession.
"You, you-" Fred struggled to form a sentence in vain, still not entirely recovered from the revelation, so the task was left for George to take over. "You had an Invisibility Cloak the entire time and you didn't tell us?" He practically screeched at the end, looking downright betrayed that they hadn't told them about it. The said teens looked at one another and slowly backed away from the twins who looked like they were more than ready to pounce on them to get the cloak.
"To be fair, you didn't ask us." Harry defended, using Sirius, who was the closest to him, as a human shield to block Fred from reaching him. Ron and Hermione had also done the same, Ron behind Ginny, who was very amused yet annoyed at being handled in such way, and Hermione behind Mrs. Weasley. None of the twins dared to cross their sister becasue as young as she was, she was rather talented in hexes and jinxes and could easily beat them if needed and there was no need to explain why they didn't even think about crossing their mother, so they instead took after Harry to the Gryffindor's horror.
"Well, dear Harry-"
"-if you would be so kind like a gentleman you are-"
"-we would love to borrow that cloak of yours-"
"-if you don't mind, of course-"
"-for our own reasons that I fear cannot tell you right now-"
"-but I assure you we won't damage it and return it safely to you-"
"-after we finish our buisness."
"Well? Would you care to grace our humble selves with your endless generosity and lend us your magnificent cloak?"
They ended in sync, looking at Harry so intensely that the poor teen fumbled for words all the while he shoved his godfather in front of him lest the two demons manage to grab him and drag him off. The three of them bickered for awhile, oblivious of the amused stares they were receiving, while Sirius who was in the middle of the squabble had to dodge and occasionally wince or cry out when the twins accidentally hit him while they were trying to get to Harry.
"Come on, Harry, just for a week!"
"No way in hell."
"Pleeeaaase?"
"I told you, no!"
"Ouch! That was my stomach you punchced!"
"Pretty please with a cherry on the top? Aw, come on, Harry. Sharing is caring."
"I'm pretty sure in this case sharing is absolute disaster."
"Alright, you boys. Leave him alone."
Having enough, Mrs. Weasley reprimanded the twins, saving Harry from their clutches. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. You are a saint." He sighed, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing when it was clear the twins were in no position to attempt to snatch him away as they were being restrained by his older brothers, Bill and Charlie. Mrs. Weasley chuckled at his behavior, his lopsided grin making him look younger and more adorable. "No problem, dear."
Umbridge scowled as she watched the whole exchange, disgusted that these people were showing so much affection to Harry. He was a sneaky little liar who deserved to be punished, not showered with love like they were doing. At least those muggles had the right idea about him and tried to change him but it seemed it didn't work so well. Although they managed to put healthy dose of fear in the boy if the event that happened yesterday was anything to go by. It was a pity they had to be muggles. She scowled again when she thought back to the Invisiiblity Cloak. They were very rare, as the Weasley boy had commented in the book and it was such a waste that such a priceless item was in posession of Potter. She desperately wanted to take it away from the boy and to the Ministry but she knew without a doubt that they would kick a fuss, especially James Potter. She just had to let it go for the moment and look out for any trouble Potter or his friends caused for an excuse to confiscate it. Well, the reading wasn't so bad as she would soon learn all Potter and Dumbledore's dirty little secrets that she could use against them.
[Page 220 - The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this Cloak...He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.]
"Really, Harry?" Sirius groaned, glaring at the teen in question. Harry winced, scratching his head ruefully. "I thought you said you don't look for troubles. If I get a heart attack because of whatever you did that night, I'm blaming you." He sat up abruptly, squinting suspiciously at the teen. "You didn't get into any dangerous place, did you? I swear, if you went to the forbidden area to find whatever the dog was guarding, I won't be responsible for my reaction. I suspect it's passing out or screaming my head off but whatever it might be, it won't be pretty."
"I didn't go to the forbidden corridor...that night, at least." The last part was muttered quietly so only Ron and Hermione could hear. The three of them grimaced at recalling their adventure and in Harry's case, meeting Voldemort. Their action went unnoticed for the others were breathing out a sigh of relief at hearing that nothing drastic was going to happen. Hopefully.
"So what did you do then?" James leaned back, an eyebrow raised in question. "Did you prank someone? Please tell me you did. I know there's a Marauder side in you-" Lily elbowed him sharply in the ribs "Ow! What the bloody hell was that for? Ouch! Okay, okay. I'll stop trying to corrupt him to follow my footsteps. Happy?" He pouted when she grinned cheekily, patting his head like you would with a child. "Very. Thank you, dear. I'd rather not use any more violence than necessary." He paled, gulping audibly much to her amusement.
"But really, what did you do? And it better not be anything hazardous or we will be talking about it." Lily pinned her son with a stern look, receiving frantic nods as as response. Satisfied her message was clear, she ruffled his black hair, making it even messier than before to let him know she wasn't truly angry at him. Well, she might be if he had jumped face-first into danger without thinking about it first.
"Well, it wasn't anything life-threatening but I guess I kinda broke some rules."
"You think?" Ginny deadpanned causing Harry to duck his head in embarrassment. "Fine. I did break several rules. Sorry about that." He cringed when he was subjected under a stern look for the second time by his Head of the House, Professor McGonagall. Her brows furrowed in disapprovement but to his relief, she didn't immediately give him detention or take off points. "You will receive appropriate punishment for your actions, Mr. Potter but as we don't know what you've done yet, I will let it go for now."
Umbridge scoffed under her breath, her eyes glinting in glee. As if she would let her deal with Potter. As strict as she might appear to be, she had a soft spot for Potter and his friends so it was obvious she would lighten the punishment. Which was why she would be ready when where Potter went that day was discovered and take the matter into her own hands. She already knew few events that Potter should have been disciplined but got off with a mere slap on the wrist so she would use this information to finally punish him accordingly. If she was lucky, she might even manage to stop him from spreading his poisonous lies onto his peers.
[Page 220 - The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.]
"You went to the Restricted Section?" Neville exclaimed, stricken. "I know you were really curious about Nicolas Flamel - after all, you three were always whispering to yourselves and it even coaxed Ron to go to the library willingly - but do you have any idea what would have happened if you were caught?"
"Which is exactly why you'll be having detention with me." Umbridge smirked in triumph, finally managing to find punishable excuse. "Two weeks of detention for being out after curfew, twice if I might add, once going into the forbidden area on the third floor and once into the Restricted Section in the library, deliberately using a broom when the instructions clearly stated you were forbidden to and also for intentionally going against professor's instructions during the Halloween and dragging your two peers in danger." She couldn't suppress the manic glee she felt so didn't bother trying, her smugness showing as well. Harry's friends immediately started protesting on his behalf, though the boy in question was staying unusually quiet.
"You can't do that! It already happened years ago! You can't hold it against him."
"You can't put him into detention when most of them happened to help his friends and were accidental!"
"You fucking bastard! Don't you even dare lay a finger on Harry or Merlin help me, I will-" The last was of course from Sirius and James, the most vocal pair from the whole angry mob though the difference between the volume were barely noticeable. Umbridge let out a bang from her wand, instantly silencing the crowd but they were still glaring daggers at her. If looks could kill, Umbridge would have been ten times dead already.
"The fact that it happened years ago is exactly why Mr. Potter's punishment is only two weeks of detention with me instead of several months like it's supposed to be. It should have been dealt with as soon as it was found but as the professors hadn't known or let their personal feelings cloud their judgement the task falls to me. I am perfectly capable of giving out more detentions to all of you and take off the House points if you continue to go against my orders."
"And as the Minister for Magic, I will punish those who rebel against the High Inquisitor's direct orders. Mrs. Weasley, be ready to write down everyone who speak against Dolores from now on." Fudge commanded, Percy scrambling for his quill as he did so. It was unusual for a man who was as organized and prepared as him to be caught so off guard, especially during his job. But it seemed that he had also been absorbed in the book and his embarrassment for being caught of his inattentiveness showed by the blush on his face.
"O-of course, sir." He nervously bit his lower lip, his eyes flitting anxiously to his family who was barely restraining themselves from yelling abuse at the two. Whether it was genuine concern for them or if he was merely worried about his job should his own blood say bad things to the Minister, no one knew and frankly, not many people cared.
"You-" The rest of the sentence that would have been a long rant full of colourful curses and creative insults died in his throat as Harry placed a firm grip on his shoulder, starting James out of his fury. It seemed that the emerald-eyed teen had warned the others not to say anything as no one was talking, though they were certainly fuming and muttering under their breath. Sirius had to be physically restrained by Remus - who was more than happy to distract himself by focusing all of his thoughts and strength into the task at hand - so he didn't run up to the two morons and run them through a fork that the animagus had somehow found. Lily's lip was pressed into thin line, clearly wanting nothing else than hexing them to the next century but containing her rage per her son's request. The Weasley twins, Ginny and Ron had been bound and by how no sound came out of their moving mouths, silenced as well. The more mild-tempered ones were coping better, though their fingers twitched like it was itching to take out their wands. Luna seemed to be the most calm one but her eyes were narrowed and completely focused, which was very unusual for her and indicated how angry she was. But he had never been a 'think before you act' sort of guy, more like 'act first than ask questions'. So he turned to give the two utter idiots a piece of his mind when the tug on his shoulder increased.
"Come on, dad. Just this once, don't yell at them. You'll get into big trouble no matter your title or the fact you are technically 'dead' and you know this. Come on, please?"
Damn, and how could he refuse that pleading look he was subjected to? Sighing, James slumped in his seat, making it clear that while he did as he was told, he was not happy with it even a bit. Harry grinned in victory, pushing aside his own worries for now. The scar on the back of his hand seemed to ache and he rubbed it self-consciously. He didn't know how he was going to hide what happened during the detention with Umbridge from his family. They would surely be enraged and try to throttle the woman with their bare hands. He wouldn't be surprised if they fought each other for rights to hurt her. But he heard what Fudge said and he didn't want anyone getting hurt because they tried to protect him. As stupid and stubborn he may be, Fudge was still the Minister and had power and control. He could declare Sirius was insane and lock him up in St Mungo's, say Remus is dangerous because he's a werewolf and hunt him down or even expel his friends and him. So maybe he was being a bit paranoid but could you blame him? He would rather have the scar on his hand than risk his family's safety. Ron and Hermone gave him a look that clearly stated they knew what he was thinking and Harry tried to smile at them reassuringly.
"Don't worry. She just makes me do lines, that's all."
Ron and Hermione scoffed at this, no doubt wanting to point out the ridiculous amount of sugar-coating he did in that sentence. Harry tried to give them a convincing smile but they didn't buy it for a second. At least it worked for the others. Now, how could he hide the scars from them? Asking Ron and Hermione for help was out since they would only try to persuade him to tell them. He should really work on the illusion charm but how could he study it without drawing attention to it? He winced when Hermione jabbed his ribs with her elbow, her displeasure made clear with the gesture. What was he supposed to do then? It wasn't like even if he did tell the adults they could just stop Umbridge from ruling Hogwarts. Besides, Fudge won't just stand there and watch them attack his employer. Never had Harry wished for the jinx on the DADA teacher post to be true and just act up already. Then the school will be free of the horrible pink toad and he will be free of these problems.
[Page 221 - A piercing, blood-curdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming!]
"Books can scream?" Dennis, his eyes as wide as saucers, turned to his hero questioningly. "Did it really scream? How can it scream if it has no mouth? And if it screams when it gets opened, how do you read it? So is the book alive? Wait, does that mean the book has a gender or something?"
"Whoa, slow down, Dennis." Harry facepalmed when the Creevey brothers squealed and started gushing to themselves about how the great Harry Potter knew his name. Well, it was very hard to forget the names of people who always takes his pictures everytime they meet or end up staring at him, starstruck, whenever they try to make small talk. "Yes, it actually did scream and I hadn't imagined it. But other than that you'll have to ask Madam Pince about it because I honestly have no idea how to answer any of your questions."
"The book wasn't alive but the screaming was because of a protective spell that was placed on it. There's a reason why the book was in the Restricted Section, which is why you should never wander around in there without permission." At this, the librarian gave the Gryffindor a stern look, secretly finding how the boy fidgeted uncomfortably adorable. "Every single one of them contains gruesome and deadly curses and potions and half of the books in there are enchanted with all sorts of protective spells that you'll be cursed as soon as you open them. You were lucky that you didn't pick a book that had some serious enchantment on it."
Hermione smacked her friend on his head, ignoring his yelp of pain and shock. "That was for going out in the middle of the night without telling anyone and almost getting cursed by a book. Honestly, Harry, just when are you going to stop looking for troubles?" Harry protested, rubbing his sore head tenderly. "Hey! That wasn't my fault!...Fine, it kinda was, but you were the one who told us to keep searching for Nicolas Flamel and I had the perfect opportunity!"
"Oh, now you're blaming me now?"
"I never blamed you, I just pointed out a fact, that's all."
"Woah, easy guys." Ron placed a calming hand on their shoulders. "I thought I was the hot-tempered one, not you two. Hermione stop yelling at Harry. He did pay the price by getting shocked by a screaming book, you know." Hermione let out an indigant huff but he held up a hand to cut off her protest. "And Harry, she does have a point. You were the one who went to Restricted Section, after all. Who knows what might've happened?"
"Wow, I'd never thought I'll see the day when my own brother dissolve an argument so effectively." Ginny muttered, smiling innocently when the said brother turned around to glare at her. Ron - who couldn't exactly fight his sister when his parents were right next to them - settled on merely sighing annoyedly and making sure his two best friends were calmed down enough.
"Personally, I agree with Hermione. You should have never gone out alone in the middle of the night when I know you attract all sorts of troubles in the day time. I don't want to even think about what kind of danger you'll face in the dark." Lily shuddered, not liking at all to be reminded of all the close-calls her son had went through. James shared her distress and desperately tried to think of spells that would let them know of whereabout of Harry and enable them to teleport to him straight away. Or anything that would stop Harry from going more than one mile in radius away from him. He had a feeling that stopping him from wandering off on their own without any of them knowing would save them a lot of trouble and heart attacks. The trouble was, he couldn't think of any spell that does exactly that without causing Harry discomfort or pain and that doesn't involve slight amount of Dark Art, blood ritual and that isn't illegal. Maybe they could create one? After all, Lily was one of the brightest student during their schooldays, the three of them had found a way to be animagus without any side-effects when they weren't even seventh year and with the help of Harry's freinds who also had brilliant minds on their own he was quite confident that they could do it. There were tons of spells that had to be created by someone in the past so how hard could it be?
[Pgae 223 - It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.]
"Well, that was close." Neville muttered, risking a glance at the High Table, immediately looking away when he met the Potions Master's eyes. "I don't know what would have happened if you were caught by Filch and Snape."
"But I have a feeling I'm going to know now." Harry winced when Snape confirmed his guess by taking off twenty five points for that. The only reason why more points weren't removed was Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore's reminder of how it had happened years ago. He let out a breath of relief at that. He had no intention to repeat his first year experience with how sensitive your Housemates could get when you took away their chance to win the House Cup. They were already hostile enough, he didn't want to worsen it. He grinned at the two professors in gratitude, receiving a smile back in return.
"But what does that writing supposed to mean?" Ron scrunched up his face, scratching his head in thought. "I mean, if it's so magnificent, whoever made it wouldn't have carved in some meaningless words on it." Hermione frowned as well, wrecking her brain to understand the meaning behind it. The rest of the student body were also trying to find out the meaning, especially the Ravenclaws who were always eager for a chance to solve a riddle and prove their intelligence, but with no such luck. Hermione growled under her breath, almost ripping a chunk of hair out by her constant frustrated tugging. "I don't get it. It's not French, Spanish, German, Latin or even Greek! What sort of language is it?"
"Why in bloody hell did you learn Latin and Greek for?" Ron gaped, his jaw practically hitting the ground. Harry wasn't far behind, his eyes so large that she was afraid it would fall out. "What? Latin is important for spells and Greek is very similar. The other languages, well... It was interesting and I was a bit bored. Stop looking at me like that! It's not like I can speak them fluently or something." She said defensively, folding her arms with a huff, her cheeks tainted red. Remus shook his head, impressed at her intellect. He knew she was smart when he was Hogwarts teacher, but he didn't know the exact extend of it. Sirius let out a low whistle, nudging the sandy-haired man. "She's good. I think you got a competer, Remmy. Siriusly, I never thought I would see a kid more into studying than you." He emphasized the pun strongly, letting out a bark of laughter when James groaned at the much used joke while the werewolf only rolled his eyes, swatting at him for the nickname.
"Anyways, back to the inscription. Anyone know what it means?" Ginny raised her voice, her shoulder slouching a little at the negative answers. "What about you, Harry?" The Gryffindor shook his head. "I only know that its name is the Mirror of Erised and that it shows your deepest desire, but I don't know the meaning behind that writing." The red-haired girl pouted, disappointed. "What kind of language is it then? Is it some ancient language that has been faded away in time or something?"
"It's English."
At this statement, everyone turned to face the blond girl who, to her credit, didn't even blink when all sets of eyes were directed to her. To others this would have been a feat to achieve but Luna...well, she never did really care of the other's opinion and attention, so it wasn't really surprising. "What do you mean it's English? Anyone can see it's clearly not." Cho called out, knitting her brows in confusion and frustration that she might have missed out something and it was being pointed out by someone else. Luna blinked, seemingly confused as well that they didn't seem to get it and raised her wand, writing out the words in the air, which, Harry noted with a slight shiver, was similar to how the Tom Riddle diary had in his second year.
"Well, it's English but it's written backwards." A flick of her wrist and the writing rearranged itself so that it now spelled, 'ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire'. "And the space is inserted incorrectly." Another flick, and the writing now read, 'i show not your face but your hearts desire'. People stared in awe, more surprised that 'Loony' Lovegood was the one to guess its meaning correctly than at the meaning. Harry frowned deeply, being reminded of how kids treated him during his childhood from the students' attitude towards Luna. People also thought he was weird and freakish, thanks to the Dursleys, and like her, he was an outcast amongst them and no one dared to talk to him lest they get cornered by Dudley. He still was the weird kid but due to his cousin's fear towards his magic, it wasn't as bad as it had been before. He knew exactly how it felt to be in that position no matter how hard he tried to ignore the feeling and try to act nonchalant about it, and he had no wish for Luna to go through that. He rubbed his chin, tilting his head in thought. Perhaps he could ask the twins to prank anyone who tries to bully Luna? If he offered to lend his Invisiblity Cloak to pull the trick, the pranksters wouldn't even hesitate for even a second and he was pretty sure they would agree to it even if he didn't offer his cloak for exchange. They had showed their dislike towards bullies so they wouldn't want the blond Ravenclaw, who was their sister's best friend as well as their friend, to be pushed around by the bullies. Yes, that would do.
"That's brilliant, Luna!" Ginny exclaimed happily, hugging her friend to congratulate her. Hermione seemed a bit miffed that she hadn't been the one to figure it out - "Backwards! Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that?" - but she offered her compliment as well.
"So we'll get to see what's your deepest desire?" Charlie questioned, smirking at the younger boy. "What is it then? Do you have childhood crush or something?"
"Knock it off, Charlie. It's not funny." Ron scowled at his brother, knowing what book-Harry would see in the mirror. At that time, when he didn't know the purpose of the mirror, he hadn't thought much of Harry seeing his family. But now that he knew, it saddened him that his best friend's deepest desire was just meeting his family which was considered insignificant by most kids in his age. The dragon tamer faltered at the solemn expression on his youngest brother's face and wondered just what exactly was Harry's desire that brought such pensive look on his brother.
[Page 223 - There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others...Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.]
Silence settled on the Great Hall as they registered the meaning behind it. Everyone watched in hushed silence that none dared to break, Lily hugged her son almost desperately like she was afraid he would disappear as soon as she let go of him. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as the mother mourned all the things her son had to go through alone and thanked everyone for giving them the chance to be part of his life. No more, she vowed to herself as she pressed her lips on Harry's forehead. No more would her son suffer anymore and she would not let anyone go between her and her family or die trying. They had been forcibly torn apart before and any chance of her son's normal life had been the price of it. But if she could help it, she would make that life filled with happy memories of all of them together so they could look back and laugh. They were given another chance and she would be damned if she wasted it.
James also wrapped his arms around the two of them, a single treacherous tear escaping it's way down, though he would never admit it later even with a death threat hanging over his head. Like Lily, he also couldn't even comprehend all the emotions flying around inside him but one thing was clear; his family was back together once again and he would protect them with everything he had. He tightened his grip, wishing he could project every love and affection into Harry so he could understand how much they loved him. For once surrounded by people who actually loved and cared for him, Harry's self-control slipped and soon enough, the three Potters were huddled against each other, a mess of tears and smiles. Most people had to turn away, feeling uncomfortable that they were intruding something very private. Harry's friends, on the other hand, watched the three of them fondly, their own tears making their way down their faces.
"We love you Harry, so much, and I'm so sorry we weren't there when you needed us." Harry buried his head into his mother's chest, inhaling her scent. "It's okay. It's not like you wanted to be away." He mumbled, tiny part of him thinking he should be embarrassed to have an emotional breakdown like this but it wasn't like this was the first time they've seen it and for the life of him, he couldn't make himself care if he'd tried. He just wanted to stay like this forever, without the return of the dark wizard who was bent on killing him hanging over his head and just relaxing, trusting his parents to stop every bad things from ever reaching him so he didn't have to worry for his life for once. As if sensing his thoughts, James squeezed his hand reassuringly, as if to tell him they were still there and they weren't going anywhere soon.
"Yes but we're here now and you'll be stuck with us for a very long time." He grinned, causing Harry to smile back in return. "You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep, you know. Voldemort's going to cause war and no matter what we do, he'll come for me. He might...he killed you once, so it isn't that far-fetched to say he'll do it again."
James's smile faltered, knots tightening in his stomach. Already, his son knew about death and battle and anyone could see he was deeply affected by it. This was yet another proof that his son might never have an average life but Voldemort be damned, he was going to make sure he felt happy even if he had to dive into the Death Eaters infested headquarters and kill the wizard responsible himself. So he gripped his son's shoulders and looked at him in the eye, trying to convey his thoughts. "I am going to do everything and anything to make sure us three survive through this and I'm going to make sure we have a fantastic life together and that's a promise that I'll keep until the end of my day. Got that?" Harry grinned brightly before hugging him tightly, whispering thank you over and over as if this was the first time anyone promised that. Which was likely - he couldn't imagine the Dursleys reassuring Harry that everything was going to be alright - and felt another pang of sadness while happiness was blooming in his chest. It was surely a strange feeling to have, opposite emotions mixed together, but it just made him more determined to keep his promise.
As she watched the three of them, Mrs. Weasley had to cover her mouth as tears threatened to fall. Oh, that poor boy. To think that seeing his family was what he wanted more than anything shattered her heart into million pieces as she clung to her husband, sobbing. Arthur was also showing signs of tears but he tried to stay strong for her sake. As parents of seven kids, they couldn't bear to even think about one of their kids being in the same position as Harry and could only pray such circumstance would never come to any of them, as selfish as that might seem. They could only watch the Potters, not even close to understanding what they were thinking which would be, without a doubt, a swirl of uncontrollable chaotic emotions. Thank Merlin that they got a second chance to be with each other, completing the family as whole. They only prayed it won't end in such tragedy like last time.
[Page 226 - "...I'm Head Boy!...I am - I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to - and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup - I'm Quidditch captain, too!"]
The Weasleys stared blankly at Ron who was fidgeting uncomfortably. Not being able to withstand the tension any longer, he snapped, looking defensive and nervous at the same time. "What? Stop looking at me like that and talk or turn around and focus on the book." He huffed, trying to play his hot temper as much as possible in hope that they would scold him for talking like that to his family and forget about it. Of course, it didn't work.
"Ron... That's your deepest desire?" Charlie asked hesitantly, almost afraid to be confirmed of his thoughts. Ron shrugged, acting nonchalant. "Yeah, so? It's not like I'm the only one who wishes that. I bet half of people sitting here dreams of that as well."
"Ron, you know what we're talking about. Stop trying to avoid the subject." Bill frowned, for once looking like the eldest child of the Weasleys. "Do you really feel that...overshadowed by us?"
Ron shrugged his shoulders, resisting urge to run away from the Hall and the conversation as he knew they would just come back to it until he answered it. Finally steeling his resolve to turn and face his family, he replied, albeit quietly. "Well, all of you did great at school and had good jobs - even if mum didn't approve everything about it. You've been a Head Boy, a Prefect, Quidditch Captain and even perfect score by Percy." Ron winced when his brother's name slipped out, knowing how much all of them were affected by his betrayal. The said boy was also listening intently, furrowing his brows in worry as he strained to hear his youngest brother, only realizing what he was doing when the Minister coughed loudly to capture his attention. Blushing furiously, he ducked his head, pretending to scribble on his clipboard while he was trying to listen to his family. "Hell, even Fred and George gets decent scores and even if I do manage to achieve any of that, it's not really a big deal since it's already been done." He cleared his throat loudly and looked away, his ears tinged in pink in embarrassment which was understandable since he normally didn't talk about his thoughts like that, especially not to his family.
"Oh, Ron." Mrs. Weasley enveloped her son in bear hug, her eyes suspiciously bright. "Never think that, never. We are all so proud of you and you should know better than to think your achievements will go unnoticed by us - well, you should put more effort into your studies first." She mock-scolded, lightening up the mood a bit. The Weasleys took that as their cue, doing what they did best; using jokes, pranks and light insults to make people laugh.
"Besides, who cares about all those fancy titles and medals, anyways?"
"Honestly, if you actually thought winning any of them were worth it, we are really going to disown you as our brother-"
"-and lock you up in St Mungo's for thinking such horrendous thing-"
"-'cause, let's be honest, if anyone thinks getting perfect scores are important they are a pure Ravenclaw through and through-"
"Like our Hermione here."
"-or a stuck-up, full of himself git like our dear brother up there-"
"You should get your mind checked out, by the way. No one can be such a prat all the time like you manage to do so."
"-and we would die of shame if you turned out like that." Fred finished, pleased with themselves that they made their point. "So no sulking about bad grades and fancy titles whatsoever. Got that? Good."
"Although I won't be surprised if your brain can't catch up with all these information at once. Must be so overwhelming..." George mused, dodging a whack aimed for his head with good-natured laugh. Their plan worked and their little brother was out of his awkward emotional mood. If that wasn't a success, they didn't know what was.
"But seriously though, don't think you matter any less because we've done it already." Ron nodded, causing Charlie to grin and ruffle his hair much to his chagrin. Arthur smiled warmly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "And if you have any concerns like that, come to us. Your brothers might tease and be immature all the time but you know they care about you." Bill had to slap George on his head when he started pulling faces, saying, "Ew. Emotional talk".
"And I honestly am sorry if you really thought I didn't pay as much attention to you as your brothers. But you know how they are like, running all over the places and trying to kill each other every five seconds. Someone has to make sure they don't do anything drastic to get themselves in Azkaban." Mrs. Weasley chuckled fondly, remembering her children at mealtime. Ginny, who seemed quite shocked that her brother had thought that, piped in as well, throwing a light punch to Ron's shoulder. "So stop thinking so gloomy things and moping around. I mean, look at me! I'm the only girl in the house with six boys and I had to battle those six men - who are way bigger than me, mind you - to get a piece of pie! And I also have a lot to live up for." She huffed, but playful light in her eyes showed them she wasn't actually angry. Ron scowled at her half-heartedly, feeling better now that problem was over.
[Page 230 - "What do you see when you look in the Mirror?" "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."]
People in general merely laughed at very Dumbledore-ish answer, while some rolled their eyes or scoffed at the ridiculous statement. Some who disliked the Headmaster - Umbridge, Fudge and the Dursleys to name a few - only took it as a proof that he was indeed insane and couldn't care less. Knowing this, Dumbledore smiled jovially, glad to see the atmosphere had lightened up. But if anyone looked closely, they would've noticed his blue eyes had dimmed a several shades as he thought back to the image that burned itself into his mind. Contrary to what he told Harry, he saw his family, whole and free of any pain, standing in the mirror, smiling and waving at himself, as if to invite him to come join them. Everytime he stood in front of the Mirror, the weight of how his actions broke apart his family crashed down on him and he couldn't help but just stand there for hours, asking 'what if's to himself over and over, mourning over Ariana's death despite the fact that he knew he couldn't do anything to change it. That was one of the reasons why he was anxious to whether Harry would keep his promise to never come back as he knew the effects of the Mirror first hand. He had checked the next following week to make sure the Gryffindor had indeed kept his promise and was immensely relieved he didn't seem to be as badly affected as he first feared. But now, with both of his parents back, he hoped Harry could have a proper homelife, another reminder of his mistakes. He only hoped Harry could forgive him for leaving him with the Dursleys and never checking to see if he was alright.
Mentally shaking his head to clear away all the dark thoughts, Dumbledore turned his gaze towards the united family who were practically smothering Harry with all the huggings. He was glad to see that the boy in question seemed perfectly content and happy for once. He certainly deserved it, but he shuddered to think what Harry's family reactions would be when he revealed that part of Voldemort's soul was inside him and he had to die. He was still finding another solution for this, of course, but so far there was only one way to end the Hocrux which was destroying the object - or in this case, a person - completely. The wizards clearly hadn't found anything else so he was aiming at other magical creatures which was proving to be difficult as they guarded their secrets well and were unwilling to let a wizard know anything about it. He supposed he could ask Remus for the werewolves and maybe Lily and James as they belonged in one of the most powerful family in magical society so they would be at least a bit respected.
Resisting an urge to rub his temple, he turned his attention back to the book. Perhaps it would do him good if he stopped thinking about serious stuff for a moment and if he was very, very lucky, the book might provide answers to his questions, no matter how hopeless that might seem. Ah, well, there was nothing wrong with having hope.
I AM SO SORRY! I know, I know. I'm way too late, but life had been crazy for a while and this chapter had been so hard to write for some reason. At least it's extra long to make up for it. To be honest, I'm not really happy with this chapter but no matter how hard I tried, it just didn't seem satisfactory to me. But since I wanted to update this story, I just decided to post it like this. Hopefully, it doesn't feel too awkward or OOC and it was enjoyable for you to read. Did you like it? Hate it? Anything to fix or change? If you have any opinions, please let me know. Thank you so much for reading and please review!