Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the idea of Harry Potter or any of the money making forms of it.
A/N: Life and school have been busy and finals are here, but between studying and stuff, I spent my time writing :)
Questions Concerning...
Chaotic Magic learning 'friend from foe': Think of it as a mother. At first, most mothers are extremely protective of their children, some even don't want anyone else holding them, but as time goes on, this changes. They learn to trust certain people with their child and understand that, yes, sometimes their kid will fall and get hurt, it is only normal. However, the protectiveness is still there, ready to activate if a true danger comes about. I hope I've clarified it well enough.
Salandra: She will be back in year three. That's all I am going to say for now.
This is the last part to book 2, so it will be closing up the second year... The next part will be the summer of year 3...
- - - Book 2 — Part 21: Under the Protection of…
The following week went by in a blur, though for Harry it was an extremely trying and boring blur.
Dumbledore had given him some peace of mind before Molly had come in, and though it didn't completely take away the fear of hurting someone or losing control, he was comforted by the fact that he did have some control over it.
Mrs. Weasley had apologized profusely, and, albeit awkwardly and such, he forgave her. Though it had hurt, he knew she was partly right, and the fact that emotions had been high all around helped him cope with the situation. He decided it best to cut her some slack, though he was unable to bring himself to give her the message from her brothers at the time. He promised to do it later, of course, probably after he got a better hold of his magic.
For Dumbledore, the week was just as rough as it was on Harry, just for different reasons. Looking back, he found he may have been a little too hard on Molly, but he honestly had expected more from her, and it was impossible for him to not to think back to his sister, especially after the message Harry had given him from her. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if Harry became afraid of his magic like his sister had, and couldn't help but get protective, and maybe even a little snappy, when it came to that sort of thing.
He also had the knowledge that Voldemort would be returning soon on his mind. The time to restart the Order of the Phoenix had come, but knowing that they would not be the only ones fighting this time did provide him some peace of mind. Yes, the Custosae would prove to be invaluable in the battles and struggles ahead, and Dumbledore hoped that this war would end in their favor and soon — without the high loss of life that had occurred the decade before.
Ron and the others, including the twins and Ginny, visited Harry the first chance they all had later that week. After making sure there was no way they could be overheard, they told Harry that the Twins and Ginny had been properly inducted into the Custosae.
Fred and George's codenames were Peanut-butter and Jelly, and Ginny's was Firefly.
Harry smiled at their codenames.
"Brilliant names. Do you have preferences for contacts?" Harry asked.
"Already got it covered," Hermione said. "Fred and George will have ties to Bill and Charlie. As for Ginny, we'll wait to give her Amici contacts."
Harry nodded, knowing that Vince and Greg didn't have Amici contacts either.
"Oh, while we're here, we wanted to run something by you. It was Ginny's idea, utterly brilliant, if I say so myself; don't know why we didn't think of it earlier," Hermione said.
"Hermione, get on with it," Ron said.
"Of course, Ron. She proposed the Custosae to reveal itself slowly as a kind of property security business. We can get Bill, Moody, and the others in on it, you could even get Lupin and Sirius to help," Hermione said.
"Security business?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, you know, with the threat of Death Eaters and stuff on the rise, I think this could provide us with an early warning system and help us protect innocent people," Hermione said. "We can get Bill and the others to place certain wards to notify us and the Amici of an attack on a property, say like in Diagon Alley. Then the Amici, since I don't think our assistance would be accepted or appreciated, can go and help protect the people there. We'll probably give this service to the shops and places in Hogsmeade first and see how it goes before offering it to Diagon Alley, though."
"The services would focus on providing aid and protection for the owners and customers of the shops if there was ever an attack," Ginny said. "I remember some stories from dad about what V-Voldemort used to do, and since he may be coming back soon…."
"Hmm, I like it. Go ahead and start sending out the letters to the Amici who will be helping. Then once whatever you guys come up with for the business and the security system has been set, we'll tell all the members about it and give them whatever is needed to notify them of a breach on the properties we will be protecting," Harry said, recalling the raids Voldemort once had made on Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and several other places.
This was definitely a good idea; especially since, as Ginny had put it, Voldemort would probably be regaining a body soon, if he hadn't gotten one already.
"Oh, one other thing before anyone comes to check on us. Occlumency—" Harry began.
"We've already told them. They have already started learning," Hermione said, the others nodding.
"Good," Harry said.
"I'm glad you told us to learn Occlumency," Greg said. "When Dumbledore questioned us about the shield/ward we made, I think he tried to glaze over us. He didn't go any further, but I think he knows you are the one who taught us."
"Well, I think that's okay. He knows about me having the memories now, so I think he may have been ensuring my secret was safe from outsiders," Harry said.
The others nodded their understanding.
Fred then pulled something from the side of his robes. Old folded parchment.
"What's that?" Greg asked.
"The secret of our success—"
"But we have decided the needs of—"
"The Custosae are far greater than ours," Fred and George said.
They opened it up.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," they said, taping it with one of their wands (carefully making sure the wand was not pointing anywhere near Harry).
"Is that…" Hermione breathed as the twins let them see.
"It is!" Draco gasped.
"Wow," the others breathed.
"This is how you knew we were up to something," Harry said.
"Yup. It shows us where everyone is, well, unless they've gotten into some obscure part of the castle," Fred said, pointing out Dumbledore who was in his office with a few of the professors.
"Like an underground secret chamber," George supplied.
Ron coughed slightly.
"This is going to be very helpful," Vince said.
"Hey…" Harry whispered, suddenly noticing the names, 'Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.'
"What?" Fred and George asked.
"Where did you get this?" Harry asked.
"Filch's office."
"Got it from a drawer labeled, 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'."
"Why?" they asked.
Harry smiled, and the others were surprised to notice that is was bordering on a sad one.
"I know who these names represent," he said softly.
The twin's eyes grew wide, as did the other, but unlike the others, theirs was almost in awe and reverence.
"Who?" they breathed.
"Mooney is Remus Lupin. Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew. Padfoot is my godfather. And Prongs… was my dad," Harry said, knowing this from the stories Sirius and Lupin told him during Christmas Break and from his own gained knowledge.
Everyone blinked.
"Wow, and they made this?!" Ron asked.
Harry nodded.
"Man, Harry—"
"The next time we see—"
"Mooney or Padfoot…" the twins began, in utter shock.
"We owe them so much!" they both cried.
"Okay, settle down you two," Ginny said.
They took a few deep breathes before saying, "Mischief managed," making the map disappear again.
"I wonder if I could reverse engineer it," Hermione wondered.
"A job we will be happy to help you with," Greg said, Vince nodding, being the two man team of research and development (though the twins were sure to join it as well).
They all smiled, trying to imagine how great it would be for them all to have one of those maps, though more charms and protections would definitely be in order if they went through with making those….
"Oh, I have something to tell you guys," Neville said, changing the subject. "Remember my remembrall?"
"The one that's broken?" Ron asked.
"The one that turned black?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, but it's not broken," Neville said.
"Neville, it turned black. Remembralls aren't supposed to do that," Vince said.
"I asked Gran about it, and she nearly had a fit," Neville said.
"She did, why?" Greg asked.
"Because, remembralls only turn black if you've forgotten something that is life threatening to you or someone you know well."
"Oh…" several of them breathed.
"Well… I suppose that makes sense," Hermione said. "I had forgotten too, which is why it stayed black when you handed it to me."
"Uh-huh. And we all know what we had forgotten," he said.
"Yeah, and I don't think we will ever forget what happened because we had," Draco said.
"Well, at least we know now," Ron said.
"Always the optimist," Harry said with a smile, before closing his eyes.
He could feel his magic beginning to churn again inside. It had been happening less frequently, but still occurring more than he would like, which is to say every day.
"Can someone hand me that bowl," Harry asked quietly.
"Sure, Harry," Neville said, picking up the bed pan on the side table.
"Are you about to throw up, Harry?" Ron asked, concerned.
Harry took the bowl in both hands.
"No, but my magic is though," he said, his hands tightening over the metal as a few people entered the infirmary.
Harry closed his eyes, allowing his magic to freely flow through him, just as Dumbledore had instructed the day before. Dumbledore had figured that Harry could release his excess magic directly into an object when he felt it getting to the point of nearly spilling over. He told Harry that he was already doing this in a way, the evidence being his robes and, now, slippers.
Harry felt the metal bowl vibrate slightly in his hands before it went still again, though the texture was no longer smooth, but engraved and etched.
Harry opened his eyes and looked down at the previously boring bed pan.
"Wow. Maybe you should get into the arts and crafts business," George said, staring at the now colorfully designed pan.
Several people at the door laughed.
Harry and the other young Custosae looked up, finding Sirius, Lupin, Snape, Pomfrey, and Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was growing out his beard again. Harry had managed to ask why he didn't just spell it back, but Dumbledore just smiled and said that the real thing was so much better than a magic-ed one. He also said something about how some people were actually allergic to conjured hair, though he didn't say if he was one of these people or not.
He now had a full, neatly trimmed beard. It would probably be back to it's original length by the end of the following term.
"I see you are getting accustom to properly draining your magic," Dumbledore said approvingly.
Harry nodded.
"Well, Harry, are you ready to go home?" Sirius asked.
"Do you even need to ask?" Harry blurted out, only to blush soon after from doing so.
Sirius grinned.
"Transportation has been arranged," Dumbledore said. "You will be leaving in a muggle car."
Harry grinned.
O o O o O
Ron and the rest of Hogwarts went back to their classes. Their fellow students stared at them for the first couple of days, wanting to ask exactly what had happened, but afraid to.
Dumbledore had made it quite clear to not bother those who had been involved, and had said that Mr. Potter and Susan Bones had gone home to recuperate. Because of this, rumors flourished, though soon it didn't matter. Ron and Draco, tired of the outrageous tales, told those in Hogwart's Army a little more of what had happened, and that quickly caused the ridiculous storytelling to be squashed. The 'soldiers' of Hogwarts, as it were, were particularly insistent about killing the rumors after learning Harry had nearly died. It wasn't right to make up or guess how a fellow student nearly died, especially when that student had, directly or indirectly, prevented a horrible being from immediately rising again, and they made that thought known quite well.
There was about a month left before the summer holidays, and just like the year before at this time, Hermione and the others were busy. However, they were busy with more than just class work.
Hermione and Ginny were focused on writing the letters and organizing the new proposed 'Security Business' and they could hardly wait to set it in motion. They knew time was of the essence, who knew when Voldemort and his followers would act.
They decided it best just to inform the people who would be carrying out the needs of the business first, and all other Amici would be notified later when everything was set, including Long Beard, who seemed busy with other matters at the moment.
While Harry was relaxing at Grimmauld Place, they finally finished the letters, Draco and Hagrid being the ones who would put them into the delivery network. Kingsley (Iron Man), Moody (Peg), Stephanie Somac (Galadriel), Joseph D. Moy (Blade), Forshaw Craw (Shade), Snape (Dark Knight), Madam Bones (Lone Lantern), Augusta Longbottom (Lioness) and Bill (Breaker) got the needed instructions, and things were quickly set in motion.
Alastor Moody had been asked to take the position of 'Head of Security,' which entailed him being the one who headed up the force that went in if their services were ever needed. He was also responsible for ensuring everyone was prepared for such an undertaking. Moody happily took on the post, probably looking forward to any future hostile encounter.
Bill took up the position of 'Head Warder' or the System Organizer. He would be responsible for making sure all the wards and charms cast to alert the Custosae and Amici of an attack or threat was in working order, for without the alert, Moody's job was pointless. He also had to come up with a way to alert everyone. Hermit (Hermione) had proposed a coin whose face changed to the image of the building's front, showing what property was in danger. Bill seemed to like the idea, and got busy with that as well as designing the proper ward alarms.
While that was going on, Greg and Vince, along with the twins, went into researching and learning how the map worked. They also began work into special potions and candies. The idea of having their Custosae potions in candies spiked all of their interests. The thought of having diversions ready in simple objects like marbles also showed promise. The twins were in their element.
The Army of Hogwarts continued meeting, practicing and learning more than ever before, a threat and purpose solidly set in them all. Dumbledore had made a few appearances at the meetings, pointing out where improvements could be made, and congratulating them on the progress they had made that year. Dumbledore also taught Defense Against the Dark Arts for the rest of the year, quickly filling in everything that Lockhart had failed to teach.
Dumbledore had yet to go see his brother. He just didn't have time and didn't want to make time until he had decided what he should say. Informing his brother of the message Harry had delivered from their sister was proving a very hard thing to think over, let alone discuss. But Dumbledore promised himself to speak to his brother soon, and attempt to repair things with him, just as his sister wanted.
O o O o O
Hogsmeade, (during first week with Harry home)
Sirius entered good, old dingy, Hog's Head Tavern. He and Lupin had spoken with Harry, and the Custosae had a job for them (minus Harry of course). They were to go to Hogsmeade, go into all the shops and properties and offer the services of a security service called the Custosae de Lux. Sirius took on the job alone, not wanting Harry to stay home alone. Lupin agreed.
The security business idea was ingenious, if Sirius had anything to say about it. Hide in plain sight, declare your presence but not all of your purpose, take cover behind an alias of sorts and appear to make all of your moves in the open.
Sirius was quite pleased with the brains of the Custosae operation and wondered how things might have been if it had played a part in the last war….
Sirius shifted his thoughts, refocusing them at the task at hand. He had already spoken to a number of shop owners in Hogsmeade, and though a number of them had seemed interested, they had politely declined, and that was probably only because they knew Sirius was now a respected member of society and representative to accused persons in certain Ministry trials. Well, less than a hand full had signed up. Of those, Honeydukes and Zonko's Joke Shop were on the list (for which Sirius was quite pleased).
"Can I help you?" an old man asked from behind the counter.
There was no one else in the Tavern, so Sirius happily went forward.
"Well, sir, I'm Sirius Black, and I was actually wondering if I could interest you in accepting the services of a certain business," Sirius said.
"A business? What kind of business, and what services could it provide that I would want?" the old bearded man asked.
"A business that would come to your aid should any intruder or intruders attempt to harm you or any of your customers," Sirius said. "I am representing a business in property and personal security, the Custosae de Lux, Mr…."
"My name is Aberforth. And how would they do this?" Aberforth asked.
"With your permission, we would place certain security wards that would alert the defenders of a threat or attack. Depending on the severity, two to fifteen, if not more, well trained people would come to your aid," Sirius said.
"What's the catch and cost?"
"There is no catch. And we don't set a payment, that is up to you. We just request a kind of donation, the amount, either material, gold, or loyalty is up to you," Sirius said.
"Hmm, well, I of course know who you are, Mr. Black. I see that you are spreading your talents further than defending the innocent from the immoral actions of the Ministry. I can also tell that you are telling the truth. I do not believe I need protection, however, I cannot say the same about my customers. Who would be setting the wards, and when can they get started, and how long would it take?"
"Bill Weasley and Alastor Moody would be laying the wards. They can get this started tomorrow and finished in two days, if you wish," Sirius said.
"Weasley and Moody, eh? Hmm. Well, all I can currently offer is my loyalty," Aberforth said.
"To us, sir, that is worth more than gold."
"But what does that entail?"
"At the bare minimum, you give your word that you will not be aiding Voldemort or any other individuals intent on hurting people," Sirius said, inwardly amused with how Harry had simply stated it.
"Then tell your company they have a customer," Aberforth said.
"I will. Thank you for your time."
With that, Sirius left and apparated out of Hogsmeade. The Custosae had work to do.
O o O o O
There was only a week of school left, and Dumbledore could hardly believe how quickly time had passed, though, if he had learned anything over the century, it was that time only seemed to go by faster the older he got.
Dumbledore slowly approached his brother's tavern, the Hog's Head. Dumbledore often wondered what had possessed his brother to name the place that, but then, Hogwarts wasn't exactly a glorified name either, if he admitted it to himself.
Coming to the door, Dumbledore paused, ever so slightly.
What was this? His brother had no wards on his place during his last visit, but then, these weren't wards exactly, more like… an alarm system?
Moving forward again, Dumbledore, again, paused, but this time for something he could see, rather than feel.
A decently-sized, circular sticker, on the inside of the window on the door read:
Notice:
Property and Those Within are
Under the Protection of the Custosae de Lux.
You have been Warned. Have a Good Day.
Below that was the large C with de and LUX within it, the same seal that he had seen months before on the letter addressed to him.
Dumbledore was momentarily confused. When did they do this? How did they arrange this? Who else were they protecting now? Were they taking steps to prepare society for a possible war?
Deciding to think on such things later and hoping Mage would explain these things soon, Dumbledore entered.
To anyone watching, it would appear as if he was just moseying in without a care in the world, but for those who did know him, and know him well, he looked wary.
Dumbledore looked around, only finding a few customers in the tavern. He went and sat in the corner, his brother silently noticing him, and quickly deciding Albus was waiting for the tavern to empty. He was right.
After about an hour, the place was empty, and Dumbledore looked at him. Aberforth knew that look and closed the shop, casting a few privacy spells as well.
"What has happened, Albus? You only come to me when something bad has happened, will happen, or when you feel you have no other thing to do. Which is it this time?" Aberforth asked, not commenting on Albus' much shorter beard.
Dumbledore sighed, allowing himself to just be Albus in front of his brother.
"I think a certain talk is long overdue, Aberforth," Albus said softly.
Aberforth quietly sat down across Albus on the dusty table and folded his hands.
"Yeah? And what talk would that be?" he asked.
"Something has happened recently, and I have learned some things you should know as well. I trust you know what happened this year?"
"With the Potter boy and a certain chamber?" Aberforth asked.
"Mr. Potter had crossed into the Realm of the Dead, and returned."
Aberforth pulled back slightly.
"I knew, as most everyone, that the events in the Chamber were not happy, but I did not know it had been that…dire. How did he come back?"
"That in itself is a long story, and I will tell you after I have said what I have come to say. Aberforth, he…" Albus stopped.
He knew he had to continue, but he suddenly found his voice not cooperating. It was rather frustrating. Being a wizard hundreds, if not thousands, looked up to, but failing to be able to finish a sentence. Wasn't he stronger than this?
Aberforth looked confused and slightly concerned. What was this about?
Albus tried again, this time willing himself to continue talking, even if he had to divert some of his magic to his mouth to do so.
"He spoke with our family."
Aberforth blinked.
Albus took a quiet, calming breath before he continued.
"They gave him a message to give to me, and to you. Well, Ariana was the one who gave it to him, but our parents backed the message," Albus said.
"Albus," Aberforth said, lifting a hand. "I don't know if I want to hear this."
"Please, let me tell you. It's what she wanted," Albus said, a slight strain in his voice.
Aberforth sighed, but allowed him to continue.
"It wasn't you or me."
"Albus, I don't know why you think it matters now. They're gone. And it doesn't really matter who did it or who started it or any of the other bloody hellish crap. Our parents died, and so did our sister."
"Please, I'm not finished. This was not the main reason I came."
"Then why?"
"I have made several mistakes, we both know that. I was not the brother or man I should have been, and though I was young, that is a pitiful and sorry excuse. There is no real justification for what I did. Sure, there are reasons, but none of them are good enough. Nothing that happened at that time was good or right, but we are not there anymore, and I am not the same person.
"You are right, they are gone. And the reasons for what happened don't really matter anymore, but there is something that does. Ariana sent this with Harry, 'You all still have tasks to complete and a life to live, but once they have been fulfilled, we shall be waiting. There's no rush.'
"Aberforth, I don't know why it took me so long to see it, but we only have each other now, and we still have things to do."
Albus paused for a moment.
"And I don't want to do them alone anymore," he whispered.
Aberforth stared at Albus for a long while, before breaking the silence.
"And you won't."
O o O o O
The end of term finally came, and a great deal had already changed.
Aberforth and Albus stood and watched the students depart. Gregory Goyle would be going home with Neville and Revlis. Augusta Longbottom had agreed to allow him to live at the Longbottom Mansion for the summer, or at least until some final arrangements could be made. As for Revlis, she swore that if 'that thing' did anything she doesn't like, it is going to die. Neville made it a point to remind Revlis not to cross his Gran.
Greg's godparents had been the Crabbe's, and Vince's had been the Goyle's. It was obvious why those arrangements could not be carried out. They were in Azkaban, and would remain there for a longlong time.
Vince was going with Draco, there being an extra room at Snape's home. It had also been agreed placing both boys at one house would be unwise. It was just giving the Death Eaters a bigger target. This way, they hoped to minimize the potential for an attack.
On their way to Hogsmeade, moving towards the carriages, Ron and a few of the others froze.
"What the bloody hell is that?!" Ron asked.
"What?" Hermione asked, looking where she saw Ron and the others staring. "I don't see anything."
"It's a Thestral," Luna said, coming up behind them. "Don't worry, you're not going mad. You're just as sane as I am."
"A Thestral?" Ron asked.
"Why yes. Only those who have seen death can see them," Luna stated calmly.
Hermione looked to the others.
"Who can see them? What are they? What are they doing?" Hermione asked.
"They're like horses, only a little scary looking I suppose for most people. And they pull the carriages," Luna answered as Ron, Draco, Neville, Greg, and Vince nodded their heads, telling Hermione that they could see them.
It didn't take long for them to learn why.
"You all had seen… Harry die," Hermione whispered, though she did wonder how Neville had seen, since she hadn't.
"I've always been able to see them," Neville admitted quietly. "And I'm sure Harry can too, he just didn't say anything. I think he already knew what they were and why he could see them and why most others couldn't."
The twins and Ginny came up behind them, wondering why they were all looking so gloomy.
"Hey, what's going on?" Fred asked.
"Nothing, I guess…" Hermione said.
"We just realized how close we came to losing Harry," Ron said.
"We were just thinking about him is all," Draco said.
"Oh, okay. Well, shall we enter the carriages? I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss the train," the twins said.
They all got in, filling up two carriages, quickly shifting onto things they were planning to do during the summer.
Aberforth and Albus had several long talks by the lake, occasionally seeing the lake monster wave at them. Though they still had a few things to work out and repair, they now had regained something they had lost over a century before. They were brothers again.
Albus had asked Aberforth about his new security system. Aberforth laughed.
"One of your old students came by a few weeks ago and asked if I was interested in his business' services. I figured with everything going on now, a little security can't hurt. And the best thing is, it's practically free! And, the protection also covers my goats! But Mad-eye did warn me that if it was between saving a human or a goat, they'd pick the one with a soul. Didn't say if the one with the soul was the goat or not though."
"An old student? And Alastor?"
"Yeah, Sirius Black, and he's looking a lot healthier than I bet he was in Azkaban. And Alastor, he helped set up the system with another younger fellow," Aberfoth explained.
"I see," he said, intrigued.
It was only a day later that Albus received the letter, as well as a coin, from the Custosae. The letter explained the security service they would be providing and how the coin worked. They stated that if it alerted them, they were expected to go help, unless they had another emergency. The letter also gave a list of the properties under their protection, which currently only had four properties, all within Hogsmeade, though it did say they were expecting several more later that month, both in Hogsmeade and in Diagon Alley.
Sirius Black (codename Grim) was named the spokesman for the 'business'. Alaster Moody was, of course, the Head of Security, and Bill Weasley was the System Organizer.
These names (minus the codenames, obviously), would become public knowledge, since this was going to become a legitimate business, thanks to Madam Bones and Augusta Longbottom getting it registered within the Ministry. They had also been able to, due to 'security reasons,' keep nearly all of the names off the books, so to speak. All that was in the file within the Ministry were the three 'head' names of the business (Black, Moody, and Bill) and a rough number of their employees, no names.
When Sirius had told Harry that, the lights to his room nearly exploded before he forced himself to calm down.
Life at Grimmauld Place was going well, for the most part anyway. There had of course been a few… incidents, but Sirius, Lupin and Kreature had been able to repair the damage.
Harry, for the most part, was confined to his bed. He was only allowed up to go to the bathroom, and occasionally to eat in the kitchen or rest on the couch. It was rather boring.
And, to add insult to injury, he couldn't hold most magical items, like a self-warming mug or a two-way mirror.
The two-way mirror problem was mostly solved though; he would just hold it with a cloth between it and his skin. The two-way mirror was used a great deal, Hermione, Draco, and Ron using it the most, relaying Custosae activities to him and making sure all was well.
His magic was learning what was friend and what was foe, though, it was just agonizingly slow. Harry was just glad that, like at Hogwarts, his magic knew that the magical building he was in meant him no harm.
When Harry had first come home, they quickly discovered he couldn't use the magical light switches. It had nearly blown all of the lights in the hall…. Now, Harry could safely turn the lights on and off, for which they were all grateful. They had needed to pretty much strip the house of all high magical items, or lock them away in the attic. They also bought several boring, non-magic items, which Harry would drain into and turn into a less boring object.
A few times, he had even made magical items, some more magical than others.
"Remus, I think I need one of those stuffed animals. It's rising again," Harry said, sitting on the couch and setting the book he had been reading aside before giving a slight shiver.
"Alright," Lupin said quickly, knowing to give the item Harry requested before things got out of control.
Over the past few weeks, they had also learned what items seemed to be able to hold more magic, having a larger 'magical quota'. Stuffed animals had an extremely high potential.
Harry took the plain brown, though adorable, teddybear in his hands, sort of feeling bad about squeezing it so hard as he let the chaotic magic drain into it.
Harry felt the now common feeling of relief wash over him once the excess magic had left him, the magical flare over as he relaxed his hands.
He opened his eyes, quickly wondering why the teddybear looked the same and hadn't changed, but this thought didn't last, for he quickly learned the bear had changed.
The bear moved his arms, whose hands had no fingers. He moved them up and down, patting the sides of Harry's hands.
"Uh… Remus…" Harry said uneasily, glancing over at him.
Lupin's eyes were wide, staring at the evidently alive teddybear.
The teddybear turned its head and looked curiously from Harry to Lupin and back again.
"Down?"
The bear spoke!
His voice reminded Harry of a little four-year-old's.
Harry blinked, desperately wishing he knew why nothing in his life could be normal as he gently set the bear down on his knees.
"Uh… hi?" Harry asked, feeling ridiculous about talking to a stuffed animal.
"Hello. Are you playing house? Can you play with me?"
"Don't move, I'm going to get Sirius," Lupin said, quickly leaving the room.
"Um…sure. What do you want to play?" Harry asked, deciding it couldn't hurt.
"Have you ever had a tea party? I like tea. Oh! And milk and sugar."
"Well, I can't really get any of those things… though… Kreature!" Harry called, part of himself glad something different was happening. It was so boring just lying around.
Maybe this interactive teddybear was a good thing.
-Pop-
"Master called Kreature?" Kreature asked, quickly noticing the teddybear that was now trying to hide behind Harry's hand. "What does Master have? Kreature did not know you had—"
Kreature's eyes grew wide.
"Master has made a helper! Master is truly great!" Kreature exclaimed.
"What?" Harry asked, now totally confused.
"It is a vessel Master created to assist in what Master needs," Kreature explained.
"What I need? It was my chaotic magic that did this, not me," Harry said.
The teddybear peeked around Harry's hand to look at Kreature.
Just then, Sirius and Lupin came running in.
"Wow," Sirius said, going forward and stepping beside Kreature. Leaning forward, he picked up the teddybear by the arm.
It feebly struggled.
"Down, down, Teddy doesn't like heights!" Teddy cried.
Sirius sat down and held Teddy with his hands.
"Well, this is different," Sirius said, looking Teddy over. He poked him, finding he was just as squishy as he was before the transformation, and probably still had stuffing.
"Ahh! Harry, what's he doing?!" Teddy asked, attempting, but failing, to bat Sirius' hands away.
"I'm trying to figure you out," Sirius said, examining his limbs now. "Well, I don't think I've ever seen something of this magnitude before, Harry. In the past, children have somehow used accidental magic to 'liven up' their stuffed animals, but nothing to this degree."
Something suddenly dawned on Harry, and he blushed slightly.
"I uh, think I might know where the base of 'Teddy' has come from then… I used to have a teddybear, I think I was about four or five, but Dudley took him away, claiming it was his. When I was little, I'd imagine it was alive," Harry admitted. "Might also explain how he knows my name."
"Ah, that would explain some of it then, and coupled with chaotic magic, I suppose it would account for this," Sirius said, moving Teddy back and forth slightly, causing his arms to flail.
"Help!" Teddy cried.
Sirius stopped.
"The question now is, what do we do with him?" Lupin asked.
"I can keep him. He's not going to hurt anything, and because, I assume, he's based off of my old bear, he would never tell my secrets," Harry said.
Teddy was elated.
"I'll talk to Dumbledore about this though, see if he knows anything going to this degree. See what he thinks," Lupin said.
Harry agreed, taking Teddy away from Sirius.
After talking with Dumbledore, Lupin came back, telling them that Dumbledore didn't seem too surprised with the event. Though he did ask if he could come by some time to look at and examine Teddy.
It certainly was turning out to be an interesting summer, and nothing major had even happened yet.
Yet.
O o O o O
Next Part: Escape
