AN: This chapter is dedicated to "Kaddei-San" who has been one of my German Betas since I began writing "Dudley Dursley Discovers".
Harry Potter Triggers
Catastrophe!83 Injured in Riot in Diagon Alley!
"Harry Potter!" These two words, spoken by an enthusiastic witch yesterday afternoon at Diagon Alley, resulted in a disaster. Hundreds of wizards, who were in the busy street tried to catch a look at the most famous boy in the wizarding world. In the resulting crush, people were trampled and pushed against the walls of the buildings. Only with difficulty, the summoned Aurors brought the crowd under control. An elderly man was hit by a stunner and fell through a window pane. He and seven others injured were admitted to St. Mungo's, thirty victims suffered minor injuries. Rumors that Harry Potter himself had to be treated have not yet been confirmed.
A thorough investigation revealed that Harry Potter had spent the whole day in Diagon Alley in the company of none other than Albus Dumbledore. For years, the Headmaster of Hogwarts has left no stone unturned in his bid to received custody of Harry Potter. It looks as though he has finally achieved his goal, although his motives are still questionable. The fact that his first stop with his rich ward was at Gringotts, leads one to doubt his sincerity.
Obviously, he is now attempting to buy the affection of the naive child. Almost every shop owner in Diagon Alley remembers having served the shy boy in Dumbledore's company. The number of purchases amounted to 92 items (see page 9 for a complete list), including some questionable objects from Knockturn Alley.
Severus snorted contemptuously and tossed The Daily Prophet on the breakfast table. Since Rita Skeeter began working for the newspaper, it had become more and more of a tabloid, barely better than Witch Weekly or The Quibbler. Her articles were comparable to a bottle of Veritaserum from a tight-fisted Apothecary: One spare of care and facts, taking only half of the story and filling the rest with speculation and innuendo. What came out did not serve the truth, and at worst was highly toxic.
Even considering how fickle the wizarding world was, Severus did not anticipate that it would give Harry's supposed excursion to Knockturn Alley much attention. The joy that their 'savior' had returned, would outweigh anything else, of that he was sure. Nevertheless, the article had still triggered the first wave of reactions, and had caused some damage. Dumbledore had received indignant letters from the entire school board, all wanting to know why they had not been informed about Harry Potter's presence. The Ministry demanded an explanation as to why no one had requested an escort for the trip. And at the gates of Hogwarts was a whole pack of reporters. Some had even arrived with tents, obviously prepared for a long stay.
Fortunately, such things no longer fell within his area of responsibility. Now it was Dumbledore's job alone to deal with the various large and small disasters, which seemed to follow Potter everywhere. Content with the world, he seized his copy of 'The Practical Potioneer' and immersed himself in the article 'Self-Hypnosis Potions: The usefulness of self-deception'
Slowly and surely Harry came to hate the corridors of Hogwarts. On such a warm summer day, one should be outdoors, but not if you were a celebrity. Oh no, then you had to hide behind cold walls, while Albus had to strengthen the protective wards around the estate. The first week it had not bothered him to follow that instruction. Up until then, he had always stayed outside during the day, mainly to keep out of Dudley's way. So now, he used the time to explore the castle. Besides, Hagrid had brought Duchess to him. The owl's broken bones and wounds had long since healed, but she was still very weak. Harry took her to the Owlery, because the day before Dudley had given in and had presented a satisfactory essay about the "proper respect for the property other" to Albus.
Harry didn't trust the peace, so he had put everything worth something in a safe place. Most of it was thrown into his suitcase. He was sure that Duchess was smart enough to not let herself be caught by Dudley's brutal hands – if she was healthy. But in her weakened state, she made an easy target. She would be better off hundreds of stair steps away from Dudley.
Unfortunately, Duchess did not see it that way at all. Once they reached the Owlery, she flew with a few weak flaps of her wings to the first perch out of his reach, and turned her back to hurt him.
"Now, don't be that way!" implored Harry. "I don't like the whole thing either!"
Duchess commented on his words with a damp present.
"That was not very ladylike."
Duchess defensively spread her feathers.
"Come on! I also promise that I'm going to fly with you, as soon as you are completely fit again!"
Duchess turned and looked at him sternly.
"Word of honor!"
Duchess uttered a soft cooing, but did not bother to move anywhere near him again. She had not completely forgiven him yet, but still Harry was a little relived as he left the Owlery. Where to now? He had two options: he either remained in the upper floors or went to the dungeons, because Dudley was too lazy to visit the first and too afraid to seek the later. Since he was already up, Harry decided to stay there. In addition, there was a riddle that he intended to solve.
He went down to the fifth floor and walked along a corridor until he came to the long winding staircase, which he had discovered two days earlier. He climbed the stairs until he came to a door that had neither doorknob nor keyhole, but only a bronze knocker in the form of an eagle. Harry operated the knocker. "How big is the universe?"
The first time Harry answered, he tried 'infinite' and was rejected. The second time he had the same results with 'nobody knows'. This time he tried it with an unconventional thinker's answer: 'Eight letters long!'
Again, nothing! Slowly, Harry asked himself if this stupid knocker was only pulling his leg, giving him an unsolvable riddle. What was certain was that he was getting no further with the answer. But he would not give up! Albus had spoken to him that morning, and had placed before him a difficult choice. If behind the door was what Harry suspected, then solving the riddle might help him decide.
But it didn't help him to stand in front of the door and to make guesses out of the blue. So he climbed the stairs back down to the fifth floor and wandered through the hallways. When he passed the door to the Prefect's bathroom, he tried out a new password ('Fizzy Bubbles'), without really counting on the fact that the door would open. As expected, it remained closed, but shortly after he discovered a new staircase, which led him from the east wing to the seventh floor of the north wing. By now, it was noon, so he decided to take the spiral staircase down to the ground floor, because that was the shortest way to the Great Hall (at least the shortest one that he knew about).
He reached for the railing, hopped over the false step, swung around the curve – and almost collided with a woman. He had never seen her before, but the colorful travel bag, which hung over her shoulder, suggested that she lived in the castle and had just arrived.
"Excuse me!" he said quickly. "I didn't expect somebody here."
"That is quite all right, my boy. Nothing happened. The cards warned me of unexpected obstacles. Besides, my inner eye has been honed for the unexpected, so I was able to stop in time."
Harry stared at her with his mouth open. These words from the lips of someone who looked like a florescent dragonfly easily topped all the remarkable moments that he had had up to now in the wizarding world.
"Inner Eye?"
"But of course, how silly of me. I have not yet introduced myself. I always forget that other people are not as insightful as I am! I am Sibyll Trelawney, I teach Divination. And you are Harry Potter!"
Her eyes roamed over his scar, and then she looked into his eyes.
"You must be careful! I see a dark shadow hovering over you. Death follows you on foot," she announced in an ominous voice. Her bangle bracelets jangling as she threw her hands in the air in a dramatic gesture.
"Um… yes…" Harry squeezed past her. "I'm going down now to the Great Hall. Maybe I'll see you there."
"Oh no," Professor Trelawney contradicted to Harry's relief. "I only rarely go into the lower realms of the castle. Only in my tower, can I remain receptive to the vibrations of destiny. Just go your way, but watch your step." Then she fluttered (that was the only way he could describe the movement of the numerous shawls around her) around the corner. Somewhat confused, Harry continued on his way.
There was only one reason that had made Dudley give up his resistance and to write the essay: he was hungry! A single serving per meal was simply not enough for his demanding stomach. With anticipation, he went into the Great Hall.
The cast at the dining table had changed once again. Professor Kettleburn had returned to the castle, in addition, there was also a woman with an old-fashioned nurse's cap on her head sitting at the table, because she looked less menacing by far, than Snape or Hagrid, Dudley decided to take the place between her and Dumbledore. The Freak appeared shortly after and sat down with a wide grin between Hagrid and Dumbledore. Dudley did his best to ignore him.
Although he focused mainly on his food, he nevertheless noticed that the woman beside him scrutinized him critically when he loaded his plate full.
"So this is Harry Potter's cousin?" she inquired of Dumbledore.
"Yes, this is Dudley Dursley."
"He's overweight!"
These direct words came as such a surprise, that Dudley choked on the piece of beef he was about to swallow down. He sat at the table gasping for air. He barely noticed when the woman pulled out her wand, but suddenly his windpipe was clear again and he breathed deeply.
"You cannot just let the boy gobble down whatever he wants," the woman continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "If he continues on like this, he will ruin his health. He might even be quite ill already."
"Would you like to examine him?" inquired Dumbledore.
"As soon as possible! And I will speak with the house elves, so that they make sure he takes only normal meals." *
Dudley's day had just taken a very unfortunate turn of events. Despite his protests, he spent the afternoon in the hospital wing, being examined by 'Madame Pomfrey'. He then spent his dinner staring at his emptied plate, which he had eaten clean within minutes. Several times, he tried to take food from the dishes surrounding him, but every time he reached for something, it suddenly moved far away from him. Nothing helped. He only got the food that had appeared at the beginning of the meal on his plate, no more.
"I'm going to starve!" he complained to Myrtle that evening in his grief. However, this time the spirit wasn't that understanding.
"I haven't eaten for decades," exclaimed Myrtle with a mournful demeanor. "What I would give to be able to taste even a piece of chocolate."
Decades without chocolate? Dudley shuddered.
"But you're a ghost. You don't get hungry, right?"
A month ago, after such a remark, Myrtle would have disappeared howling down the drain. However, in the meantime, she had spent so much time with Dudley that now she only sniffled a little.
"No, I don't get hungry. But I miss it anyway. How the chocolate slowly melts in your mouth, the bitter-sweet taste …" her voice was dreamy. Dudley's mouth also watered at the mental image.
It was perhaps not the best idea, but he and Myrtle spent the rest of the evening raving to each other about their favorite foods. When he finally climbed the stairs to his room, his desire for food was greater than ever before. At the same time, he was also a little lighter of heart. Myrtle was such a wretched creature, that in comparison to her, he always felt like a king. He would eventually get out of here, and then could eat as much as he wanted, but she would still be sitting in the girl's toilet crying. She might have been a witch, but he was the one who would someday have a full life.
Inspired by this thought, he opened his door … and let out a scream of rage. There lay his Game Boy, his Walkman, every toy that he owned, smashed on the floor. The wallpaper was splashed with ink, his comic books were only scraps, and amid the chaos, a frightened looking Harry crouched, folding clothes.
"It wasn't me!" he vowed, but Dudley didn't believe a word. His first impulse was to punch him. But then he thought better of it.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he shouted. "Professor Dumbledore!"
Dumbledore, who had still been in his office, came up the stairs.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Dursley?"
"Harry has destroyed my room!"
"I did not! It was a house elf!"
Dudley snorted contemptuously when Harry told a complicated tale about a house elf named Dobby ** who was trying to drive him out of Hogwarts. That same excuse had already not worked for him. Dumbledore certainly would not fall for it. Finally, he had a starting point in which he could edge Harry to be out of favor with the Headmaster!
"That's what happened, Albus, really!"
"Calm down Harry, I believe you!"
What?
Harry took Dobby's warning more seriously than he was willing to admit. After all, this was the second warning that he had received in one day. Maybe a mortal peril really did lurk in wait for him. Even if the only danger that he could see at the moment was Dudley.
Contrary to Albus, Dudley hadn't believed his story. Now Harry was doubly careful about where he went. So far, he had managed to keep out of his vengeful cousin's way. Fortunately, Dudley did not dare to undertake anything in Albus' proximity, or he would have certainly had already gotten a nocturnal visit from him.
However, he did receive another kind of nighttime visitor. Four days after the incident with Dobby, Duchess flew in through the window. Harry beamed.
"There you are, my girl, in perfect heath again!"
Duchess gave an approving sound, turned a lap around Harry's head, landed on his window sill, and then looked at him invitingly.
"I know what I promised. But can you wait a little? Albus said that the protective wards will be ready the day after tomorrow."
Duchess turned her back towards him offended. Harry looked out. The nearly full moon bathed the land around Hogwarts in bright light. After all the time that he had spent inside the castle walls, the idea of ignoring Albus' instructions was very tempting. And to fly around … with a longing gaze, he looked toward his suitcase where his Nimbus 2001 was safely kept. What is more, he had promised Duchess!
Harry actually managed to sneak out of the castle, fly with Duchess around the grounds, and then return undetected to the tower. At least he thought so, until Albus called him into his office the next day and showed him the cover of the special edition of the Daily Prophet. There he was, as he flew with Duchess at his side in the picture, under it the heading 'Harry Potter High Flying!"
Oops!
The door closed more fiercely than it was necessary behind a frustrated little boy. Albus winced inside. Whatever he did, he always seemed to make Harry's life harder instead of easier. His whole life the boy had been imprisoned by his own in-laws, and now Albus himself was forced to limit his freedom of movement. It hadn't been an easy task to confront Harry about his little outing. And then he had to tell him some uncomfortable truth on top of this. He only could hope that the "punishment" for the secret flying would turn out something positive in the end.
One good thing resulted out of the whole affair in any case: Dudley would not be able to complain that Harry was allowed to do whatever he wanted. Albus knew that he didn't handle the situation with the destroyed room very well. But how should he made Dudley to understand that his guilt had been proven, whereas Harry's case had been quite different. Even if Harry hadn't looked innocent, his story about the house elf was too detailed to be a lie.
A soothing whistling interrupted his train of thought. Fawkes flew through the window, landed on his perch and let some herbs fall down. The Phoenix was in good spirits, although his plumage had some bald spots, which gave him a sickly look. He had been on the move during the last few weeks, often for days, and every time he returned with herbs, which he piled up beneath his perch. Albus knew only too well what that meant, as incredible as it was, he had actually lived long enough to witness as Fawkes reached a regular Burning Day. He felt old.
Perhaps too old to fulfill his last and most important task: to ensure that Harry Potter defeated Voldemort and survived the battle. Until now he hadn't done a good job. But he still had the change to put some things right.
Severus could hardly believe it. Potter's picture had appeared on the cover of almost every magazine in the wizarding world, from Witch Weekly to Seer!, and was even on the front page of Wiz, the only international wizarding newspaper. In Feathers and Furs, was an article about 'Harry Potter's Best Friend', while the Gringotts Gazette praised Harry as the richest boy in the world. TeenWitch speculated about his likes and dislikes, Which Broomstick about his broom, Quidditch Illustrated about his potential as a player, Magical Meals about his favorite foods, The Hexed Hut about the décor of his room, and Witch Crafts offered instructions for conjuring a 'Harry Potter Supporter' badge. With all the magazine coverage, the fact that The Herald had also announced a special broadcast about Harry Potter's life on the WWN wasn't worth mentioning.
The only good thing about the hype was that Potter's irresponsible night excursion had not gone unnoticed thanks to the long-term surveillance of the media. What was the brat thinking anyway? Everyone was doing their best to protect him, and he snuck out to take a joyride! And as if that was not enough, now Potter was going to be a pain in his neck for the next two days!
Of course, it was too much to ask that the great Albus Dumbledore personally supervise the punishment of his own ward. Severus had resisted. He had pointed out to Dumbledore the fact that he still had to prepare many antidotes for the coming school year. However, he had not been able to talk his way out of it. "But that is splendid!" Dumbledore said, "Harry can help you prepare the ingredients, and learn something new in the process!"
Unfortunately, Severus could not dispute this point. Harry did not possess the talent of his mother, the ability to know almost intuitively what and how much to add next to the bubbling cauldron, but a year under Severus' sharp eye had taught the boy diligence. Indeed, Harry might not always understand how and why certain ingredients react with each other, but when he followed the instructions precisely, than a passable potion came out of it. Besides, a little extra practice could never hurt.
So he left the boy disemboweling flobberworms and toads, and tried to ignore him - with moderate success. The time he had spent with Dumbledore had already ruined Potter's good education. The boy had actually begun to ask questions. Not incessantly, but whenever Severus began a new potion, or gave Potter a new task, he immediately asked for explanations.
"What kind of potion did we just make, Professor Snape?"
"What are the Flobberworms for, Professor Snape?
"Why does it make a difference which way you stir the caldron, Professor Snape?"
Severus would simply have forbidden him to talk, but Dumbledore had asked him to teach Potter something. After he had moaned for years to the Headmaster about the general disinterest of the students in brewing, he could hardly now ignore so much curiosity without making himself seem too implausible. Severus solved the problem more or less, by replying to the more intelligent questions, and nipping the others in the bud with a harsh: "I must concentrate!"
By afternoon, Severus had grown accustomed to not only giving instructions, but also one or two explanations on his own accord. In the meantime, as revenge, he grilled Harry about what he had learned, and assigned him things to research. Surprisingly, Harry followed his instructions, and the next day Severus actually found himself giving him a lesson on Golpalott's Third Law, although it was sixth year curriculum. As expected, Harry did not fully understand what it was about, but his eyes began to shine all at once.
Severus had long since resigned himself to the fact that few students developed an understanding of the art of brewing. Even in the NEWT courses, he was lucky if just one really had an interest in the field, everyone else chose the subject just because they felt it was necessary for their future careers (usually as a Healer or an Auror). Up to now, he had estimated that Harry was just one more of the students who preferred waving a wand to brewing. However, there he might have been mistaken. Severus decided to secretly encourage this interest further.
Potions would never be his favorite subject, of that Harry was sure. What one could brew in a cauldron was fascinating, but he found the preparation tiresome. It was not like cooking, which he had done mostly by feel rather than by recipe, and by doing so had produced some excellent, and sometimes adventurous, mixtures. With brewing, precision was required, along with a lot of patience. The latter, especially, was not one of Harry's strengths.
However, Professor Snape had said something that would perhaps help Harry to solve the riddle, which had already occupied his thoughts for days. Golpalott's Third Law stated that an antidote for a blended poison was more than the sum of the antidotes for each of its single elements. This had given him an idea. So that same evening, he stood before the bronze eagle, and pulled on the knocker.
"How big is the Universe?"
Harry took a deep breath. This time, it simply had to work!
"The whole is equal to the sum of its parts," he answered. He could have just as easily have said that it was as big as it had to be, but he had the feeling that the intellectual response had the greater hope of success.
"Very well thought out," said the eagle and the door opened. Harry entered a large circular room with huge bay windows that provided for a spectacular view of the nearby mountains. Every centimeter of the walls was covered with bookshelves. Harry dropped into a deep blue armchair and stared up at the high domed ceiling that was decorated with stars. So this was the common room of the Ravenclaws. Well, at least it was a common room, but the blue and bronze decoration left Harry with little doubt about to which house it belonged.
But he liked this place. The airy room gave him a feeling of freedom. And the many books certainly offered interesting reading. The armchair was so comfortable that Harry could hardly rouse himself to stand back up again to inspect the dormitories. He stepped through a door beside a statue that represented Rowena Ravenclaw and found another spiral staircase. As a Ravenclaw you were probably constantly running in circles! The stairs ended in a round windowless hallway with fourteen doors. Harry tried out a door and got a shock, which felt as if something sharp had pecked him. Startled, he drew back. Only then did he read the inscription on the door: 'Girls Dormitory, First Year'. Sucking on his bleeding thumb, he cautiously tried the door marked 'Boy's Dormitory, Second Year'. This time, nothing prevented him from opening the door. What he found was another spiral staircase. He rolled his eyes, but also took this last hurdle, and reached the sleeping chamber.
Four-poster beds with deep blue curtains stood between arched stained glass windows, on which were depicted eagles, rising on the winds. The wide windowsills were about tabletop height, and under each one, a stool was pushed. At the foot of each bed, there stood a wardrobe chest with bronze fittings. Here again, the walls were covered with bookshelves, however, these were not completely cluttered. Harry looked at the titles. If he assumed that the books belonged to the inhabitants of the space, then one of them had a great interest in music. Another seemed particularly fond of playing chess. At least one was muggleborn, for 'Nils Holgerson', 'Treasure Island', and 'The Three Musketeers' certainly didn't belong to the normal reading list of a wizard. And then there were an unbelievable number of books on philosophy.
All in all, it was a normal dormitory, indicating normal inhabitants. Nevertheless, the idea of soon being exposed to an army of students, gave Harry some fear. Not long ago, he had looked forward to the start of the school year with joy, however the trip to Diagon Alley had taught him better. As much as he wished for it to be so, no one would see him as normal. At worst, he would be knocked down a second time as soon as he showed up at the welcoming feast in the Great Hall. Albus was right. The risk that accompanied it, simply to mingle among the students, was incalculable. Harry had no choice. He had to respond to Albus' proposal and accept special treatment, at least until the other students had gotten used to him.
It had always given Albus great pleasure to vary the sequence of the welcoming festivities somewhat. At times he led them in singing the school song, other times he talked nonsense, and once he even set off a small fireworks display. This year, he was unusually serious. Immediately after the sorting into the houses, he gave his usual warnings and instructions, before he added: "I'm sure you're all wondering where Harry Potter is." Now he had the complete attention of all the students in attendance. "I can assure you that the numerous reports are correct, at least in so far as that Mr. Potter resides here at Hogwarts. However, after the unfortunate incident in Diagon Alley, it did not seem advisable to risk another riot of this kind. Tomorrow morning he will join with the student body, and then you will all have an opportunity to get to know him." Excited whispering broke out. "Furthermore, he will not be sorted into one of the four houses." The noise level continued to rise. Albus watched the students closely, waiting until the first surprise had subsided, and then picked just the right moment to raise an authoritative hand. The whispering fell silent.
"Mr. Potter will continue to spend the night in his regular bedroom. I know that this may appear too many to be an incredible preference. Be assured that this arrangement also entails disadvantages. As Mr. Potter cannot win or lose any points, he will have to otherwise be punished for any offense. He isn't allowed to enter any of the common rooms to spend time there with his classmates. I trust that you will show him, however, that he is now a part of Hogwarts … namely as Harry Potter, not as the boy-who-lived."
Albus sat down again. Immediately, the discussions heated up again, louder than ever before. The aging headmaster just hoped that Harry had made the right decision when he had followed his advice.
* You may be wondering why Madame Pomfrey did not place Dudley on a diet, but only ensures that he eats normal sized meals. Now, Dudley is only twelve years old and therefore still a child. Children generally should not be put on a diet, because they are still growing and need the nutrients. Even with a teenager, a diet should be carried out only under medical supervision, (so in the book, I hope that Petunia kept to the diet plan of the school nurse). Madame Pomfrey waits first of all, to see how overweight Dudley is full-grown, before making a decision on further action.
What concerns Dumbledore: He obviously knows that Dudley eats too much, but on the one hand, he didn't want to make it more difficult for him to settle in unnecessarily, on the other hand, he wanted Poppy's advice before he did anything in this regard.
**Explanation: Dobby warns Harry now, instead of on his birthday, because he did not know on that day where Harry was, or that he would be at Hogwarts for the next school year.
***I have taken the liberty to invent some extra magazines for the wizarding world. It is likely that for most it is already obvious from the name what it is about, so I will spare myself those explanations. Seer! is a magazine that is mainly known for their great photos (like National Geographic, but for all subject matters); The Herald contains the radio program and is the general source for public meetings and special events. Wiz is, as already stated, an international newspaper that is read in England, however not a lot. (By the way, the headline on TeenWitch was 'Harry Potter's flight of fancy' and The Quibbler found their article on the Blibbering Humdinger more important ;-)