Chapter 7

The next morning, Harry sat at breakfast with his guardians. He wanted to tell them about the portraits of his parents in the Potter room, but he knew he couldn't because the room was under the fidelius. He decided to ask his parents if they could visit other portraits in the trunk so his guardians could talk to them.

"Why are you so quiet this morning, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Huh?" he answered, snapping out of his mental wandering. "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm not awake yet."

"Stay up late?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah. I was trying to learn more about the trunk." Not a lie, just not the whole truth, he thought.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" Remus asked.

"Oh, yeah. There's a whole section on charms and spells you can use without leaving the trunk. It's pretty interesting."

"Hmmm. I think I'd like to read that, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Harry said. "The instructions are still in the control room. I could get them for you, if you want."

"That's okay. I'll get them later."

"When are you going to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll write Ron and Hermione and see when they're going. Maybe we could meet them there."

"You and Remus can meet them there. I think I'd better stay away from magical areas for a while. I'll just float in the pool while you're gone."

Harry laughed. Swimming in the pool in the Room of Requirement had become their favorite pastime. "Actually, you'll still be with us in Diagon Alley. You'll just be inside the trunk. The trunk will be around my neck."

"Well, since I'll be there, I'll have some raspberry swirl ice cream at Fortescues then."

"Maybe Dobby will pop out and get it for you," Harry said.

Hearing his name, Dobby popped into the room. "Did Harry Potter call Dobby?"

"We were just talking about the day I go to Diagon Alley for school supplies," Harry told him. "Sirius was wondering if you'd pop out and get him some raspberry swirl ice cream from Fortesques that day."

"Dobby is happy to get Master Sirius ice cream!" he said excitedly.

"But not today, Dobby. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before we go. I'll let you know."

"Yes, Harry Potter, Sir. Let Dobby know." He popped back out.

"This is the life," Sirius said. "Floating in the pool and having a house elf that isn't trying to kill me. Can life get better than this?"

Harry had been wondering the same thing.

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Harry spent the morning writing to his friends and sending them the souvenirs he had gotten on holiday. He told them that he had a lot to tell them when he saw them again, but that he couldn't put it in a letter. He would let them know if he got the opportunity to visit them before the end of summer, but if not, he would meet them in Diagon Alley when they bought their school supplies. He asked them to let him know when they were going so he could meet them there.

Harry had taken the small frame that his grandfather appeared in the night before into his bedroom and placed in on his bedside table in case his grandfather wanted to talk with him when he was in his room. As his finished his final letter to his friends, his grandfather suddenly appeared in the frame. "Busy, Harry?"

"No, I just finished writing letters to my friends."

"I've talked with the rest of the family, and we've got some ideas I'd like to discuss with you. After Sirius and Remus go to bed tonight, take this frame into the control room so I can show you some things. Would that be all right?"

"Sure! It might be late, but I'll be there."

"That's great, Harry. What are your plans for the day?"

"Dobby's making us a picnic, and we're going to take it to the Room of Requirement and spend the day at the pool. We'll probably stay until dinner."

"Sounds like fun. You boys have a good time."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, Granddad. We will." He started to get off the bed, and then quickly turned back to the small picture. "Oh, Granddad!"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I was just wondering if Mum and Dad and Grams could move around to other pictures the way you do. I know that Sirius and Remus would love to talk to them."

"I think that can be arranged. There are some things we're discussing today, but we'll try to arrange something later. Would that be all right?"

"That'd be great."

"All right. I'll see you tonight, then."

That night, after his guardians had gone to bed, Harry took the small picture frame into the control room. He waited for almost 10 minutes for his grandfather to appear. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Harry. There were a few things I had to discuss with your parents and Anna before I could meet with you. Are you ready?"

"Sure, Granddad. What is it you wanted to show me?"

"Actually, I want to talk with you first to let you know what we decided."

Harry nodded his agreement.

"Yesterday, you told me that I disappeared the night before you and your parents went into hiding. I don't think my disappearance was caused by Death Eaters or anything quite so ominous. You see, Harry, I lived on an island, which was already under the fidelius charm. The island was completely untraceable. Because of my position at the Ministry of Magic, it was absolutely imperative that I wasn't taken alive by Voldemort. The research I did would have been disastrous for the Wizarding world if he'd gotten hold of it."

"Mr. Tidwell told me about that," Harry said. Then he frowned in confusion. "If you were already protected, why didn't we go stay with you?"

"I don't know, Harry. We've been talking about that, and it doesn't make sense to any of us. Of course, we don't know anything that went on during the three months after your first birthday."

"So, what do you think happened to you, then? Why did you disappear?"

"I think I came here, Harry, to the future. I think that when my portrait found out what was going on here, he sent you to the past to bring me here to help you."

His grandfather laughed at the confused look on his face. "I know. I'm the portrait, but I have the memories of your grandfather, so that's how I think of myself."

"Is that what we're going to do tonight? Are we going to the past to get my grandfather?"

"I think we should. If we go to the manor on the night of my disappearance, and I haven't been kidnapped, we'll have our answer."

"Okay," Harry said, turning to the control panel. "What should I do?"

"Set the date and time to 23 October 1981 at 9:00 pm and the place to Potter Manor on Potter Island off the Southwest Coast of England. Place the trunk in the library in front of the fireplace. If I'm there, I'll recognize it and enter the trunk."

"What if you're not alone?"

"We'll arrive invisible and monitor the situation first. Once we've determined there's no danger, we'll restore the trunk to normal size and make it visible."

Harry followed his grandfather's instructions. After discovering his grandfather alone in the library, Harry made the trunk visible, and then went into the trunk library to wait for his real grandfather to arrive.

Within ten minutes, he heard footsteps cautiously making their way down the stairs into the library. He stood and turned toward the stairs, waiting. At last, his grandfather appeared on the stairway, watching him warily. He stopped and stared at Harry in awed silence. Harry wondered if he should introduce himself. The portrait of his grandfather knew him, but his grandfather who was living in 1981 did not.

Finally, he took a deep breath. "I-I'm Harry," he said softly. "Harry Potter."

His grandfather looked surprised. "What year is it, then?" he asked.

"In my time, it's 1996," Harry answered.

"Then . . . you lived."

Harry nodded, then grinned. "Yes, sir. I'm the boy-who-lived."

"And your father and mother? They . . . "

Harry looked at him sadly. "I'm the last of the Potter family."

His grandfather seemed to be in shock. Harry went to the stairs and asked him to come down and have a seat in the library. He poured him a glass of brandy and sat across from his grandfather while he sipped it.

"Harry, why have you come here?" his grandfather asked. "Surely Voldemort didn't . . . win the war, did he?"

"No, sir. I vanquished him when I was a baby, but he'd done some sort of dark magic to make himself immortal, so when the killing curse hit him, it threw his soul out of his body, but it didn't kill him. A little over a year ago, one of his Death Eaters performed a ritual which gave him a new body. So, now, he's back."

"Then, why are you here?"

"Your portrait told me to come. According to history, you disappeared on October 23, 1981, which in your time is tonight. No one ever found out what happened to you, but the portraits think that you came here—well, to the future, I mean."

"And James and Lily? When did . . . what happened?"

Harry took a deep breath and blew it out. "Near the end of October in 1981, they went into hiding," he began, and then told the entire story of the events at Godric's Hollow.

His grandfather sat in stunned silence as he listened. When Harry had finished relating the story, he began asking questions. It was almost morning when his grandfather finally said, "Harry, it's late, and you haven't slept. Since I'm going to disappear, I need to make some arrangements. Would you mind if I use the trunk to go back earlier in the day so I can do that?"

"No, of course not. It's your trunk, really."

"Actually, the trunk belongs to the entire Potter family, so it's as much yours as it is mine. By the way, what is the date in your time?"

"August second. No, it's August third, now, 1996."

"Good, then after I've made the arrangements, I'll return the trunk to your time, and I'll see you in the morning."

Harry bid his grandfather good night and went to bed thinking about all he had gained this summer. He was no longer living with the Dursleys, and they were not his only living relatives. He was a cousin to the Weasleys, Dumbledore's great great grandson, and a direct descendant of Nicholas Flamel. He had his real grandfather now, and also his godfather and his magical guardian. Life was definitely taking a turn for the better.