Chapter 11 The Truth Comes Out

Elizabeth looked up from refilling a glass of water and grinned when she saw her two favorite guys coming in the door. Harry waved at his beloved waitress before wheeling over to their regular table. Jason smiled at her and allowed his eyes to rove over her petite form. Elizabeth shot him a saucy look before turning her attention back to her job.

Harry chuckled as he watched the interaction between the couple. He was so pleased he could burst. Elizabeth made his father very happy and Harry loved her for it. The fact that she didn't seem to mind a paralyzed teenager made her that much better.

"If it isn't my two favorite people. I'll put your orders in when the others get here." Elizabeth winked at them both before heading over to the next table.

Harry glanced over at his father. "Do you think we're too predictable?" He asked.

Jason sighed. "Probably, but I really do like that sandwich."

Harry nodded. "And Elizabeth's milkshakes are brilliant." He commented sagely.

"So I suppose that we're going to have to remain predictable." Jason conceded.

"It is a consequence I believe I can live with." Harry agreed deadpanned.

Father and son both looked up when the door opened. Harry's eyes lit up when he saw his best friend come through the door. Her mother was close behind her followed by David. Hermione was quick to cross the room and hug the other teen.

"Hello Harry! Are you having a good day?" Hermione asked as she took the seat next to him.

"It's good to see you again Jason." Jane Granger greeted with a smile.

Jason had stood when the Granger women approached the table and he retook his seat once they were settled. "You too, how are you enjoying your visit in Port Charles?"

"It's a charming city. David recommended the loveliest bakery on the docks. We enjoyed some wonderful pastries." Jane informed them.

Harry grinned at his bodyguard. "The Dockside Bakery?" He verified.

"Yes you scamp, it was that same bakery your Aunt Emily is so in love with." David rolled his eyes.

"Aunt Emily took David and me there the first day here." Harry explained. "She really, really likes pastries – and chocolate."

"It's almost an out of body experience for her. I've never met anyone so enamored with a food in my life." David shook his head.

"Here you are one triple chocolate milkshake." Elizabeth declared setting the glass in front of the teen.

"Except maybe Harry and these milkshakes." David corrected himself.

"Don't knock it until you try it." Elizabeth shook her finger at the large man. "Now what can I get you?" She asked the three newcomers.

Once the Grangers and David had placed their order, Elizabeth headed back to the kitchen. Jane glanced at Jason in surprise.

"I can't believe she didn't take you're order. That was very rude."

Harry chuckled. "Dad and I have already had this discussion. We can live with being too predictable."

At Jane's confused expressions, Jason explained. "What Harry means is we always order the same thing. In fact the owner likes to call my favorite sandwich the 'Jason Morgan Special'."

Jane chuckled. "That would explain it. Just how often do you eat here?"

David laughed. "Harry has asked for it every day since he tried Kelly's his first day in Port Charles."

"You've had one of those milkshakes every day?" Jane asked thinking about the amount of sugar the teen was ingesting and what it could do to his teeth.

Harry had filled his father in on what Jane and her husband did for a living. Knowing that she was concerned about the sugar, Jason spoke up. "Harry's healer told me that with the medication he's on he'll need to eat as many calories as possible. They're working to help his body overcome years of starvation so the medication is geared to convert every calorie into helpful energy."

"Aren't they worried about cavities?" Jane asked.

David shook his head. "No, if a wizard's teeth are messed up it's because they wanted it that way. Magic keeps certain parts like the teeth from rotting. That's why purebloods haven't even heard of dentists."

"Thank goodness I'm not a pureblood; I'd be out of work." Jane quipped, satisfied with the answer.

"You could find another profession. I'm sure someone needs a skilled sadist." David winked.

"Shush you!" Jane chuckled at the joke made at her expense.

The food arrived and they all settle down to eat. As they were leaving, Jason pulled Elizabeth over to the side. "I'll call you later?"

"I'd like that." Elizabeth smiled before giving him a quick kiss.

Jason smiled and watched as she walked back to the kitchen before turning and leaving the restaurant.

Hermione glanced over at a smiling Harry. "You seem awfully pleased."

"Elizabeth and Dad are dating." Harry shrugged.

"And that doesn't make you jealous? I would think you'd want him more to yourself." Jane pointed out.

Harry chuckled. "I set them up in the first place – well me and Aunt Emily."

Jane looked down at this amazingly unselfish teen in next to her. Most kids would be upset about sharing their single parent – especially ones who were recently adopted. The fact that Harry cared more about his father's happiness was very telling. No wonder Hermione thought so highly of the young wizard.

"That's very generous of you Harry." Jane complimented.

Harry shrugged shyly. "I just want Dad to be as happy as he's made me. Elizabeth makes him happy."

Hermione smiled at her friend. She was used to this from Harry. He didn't have a selfish bone in his body.

"Are we ready to go?" Jason asked.

"Why don't we let Hermione ride with Jason, and you and I can talk?" David suggested to his sister.

"That sounds fine." Jane agreed. "We'll see you there."

Jane and David had only been in the car for a minute before Jane spoke up. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

David sighed. "I know that you had to have gotten an earful from baby brother concerning the evils of Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos."

"You know that I don't let anyone else tell me how to think. I can make my own decisions." Jane pointed out.

"You just confirmed my assumption." David grinned before becoming serious once more. "Mac wasn't totally wrong in his assessment. Sonny and Jason can be very dangerous. It was one of the reasons that I approved of Jason adopting Harry."

Jane stared at her brother trying to understand his line of thinking as well as wondering if Hermione should be near the man.

"I don't mean that Jason would ever hurt Hermione or anyone else that wasn't trying to harm him first. But there are several people who have disappeared after coming after Jason with nefarious purposes." David reassured her. "Harry has a lot of enemies that would like nothing more than to see him dead. Jason is capable of doing what it takes to protect him."

"Why would anyone want to hurt that dear boy?" Jane asked aghast.

"I know, Harry's a great kid. Unfortunately when he was a baby, he survived an attack by the darkest wizard in history and the wizard didn't. There are several of Voldemort's followers who would like nothing more that to see Harry destroyed." David explained. "I don't know how much Hermione's told you…"

"She said that Harry was known in the wizarding world as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' because he survived the killing curse – or something like that." Jane informed him.

"Is that all she's told you?" David glanced at his sister in shock.

"I know that in her first year she saw a troll and in her second she was frozen by some magical creature and it took some time to get her thawed." Jane listed. "Things have been quiet since then. Hermione did write and say that Harry was participating in a school tournament last year and that he won."

"What are you playing at Hermione?" David muttered under his breath before speaking up. "Well Harry does have a lot of people who would like to see him dead, so Jason is the best person to be his parent as far as I'm concerned."

"What about the criminal activity?" Jane asked with concern.

David chuckled. "At the most they're smugglers. I don't know all the details, but I do know that they don't deal in any drugs or weapons. Sonny and Jason are both strenuously against that. Mac and the rest of the PCPD are just upset because they've never been able to convict either one of any crimes. So anything Mac says about them isn't proven. They both have enemies, but they have never attacked anyone who didn't come after them first. I was able to read that much from them."

Jane's eyes shot wide. "You can read minds?"

David glanced at her nervously. "Yeah, I usually just do surface thoughts to make sure someone isn't secretly an enemy. I read Jason more closely since he was going to be raising Harry."

Jane shifted in her seat. "I don't know how comfortable I am with that."

"I'm sorry I'll try not to do it to you. It's just a habit." David apologized.

Jane got a mischievous look. "So how does Jason really feel about our waitress today?"

David chuckled. "He's been in love with her since she was eighteen years old."

Jane laughed and shook her head.

David sighed in relief that the subject was dropped. He made a mental note to speak with Hermione about alerting her parents to the danger they could be facing. He assumed the girl was scared that Jane and her husband would pull her out of school if they knew what was really going on – and David would support them 100%.

Jane smiled at the Francis, who was standing outside the penthouse door as David ushered her in. The woman glanced around the obviously male home and smiled. Somehow it seemed to fit what she knew of Jason Morgan. The sight of the lowered billiards table in the dining room brought out a chuckle.

David grinned behind her. "Jason does love to play pool. He's been teaching Harry."

Jane also picked up the subtle indications that someone handicapped lived there. There was a ramp next to the stairs and the doorways were all extra wide to accommodate Harry's chair. They could hear voices from a room off to the left and followed them into a tastefully decorated bedroom. The triangle and chain above the bed indicated that this would be Harry's room. Jane smiled at the amazing view of the harbor. It was obvious that Jason had made this place as comfortable as possible for his new son.

Hermione and Harry were bent over one of the mailboxes like Hermione received right before they came.

"There, he should get it any minute. Ron's going to be so surprised that you're here." Harry chuckled.

Hermione smiled and nodded. The girl looked around in satisfaction. "Your room is brilliant Harry."

"Thanks. Dad did it for me before I got here. He even had the men redo the loo so it's handicap accessible. Would you like to see?" Harry grinned.

"Sure." Hermione agreed. Her eyes widened when she saw the colorful tiles and elegant fixtures as well as the rails and stool. "Oh Harry it's wonderful."

"I know. I couldn't believe it when I saw it – I still can't believe it." Harry looked around again. He never got tired of his room and bath.

"This is lovely, Harry." Jane commented from the doorway. Despite what Mac may think, it was obvious that Jason Morgan loved his son very much.

"Here you are." The object of her thoughts spoke up from behind her.

Everyone turned to see the blond man standing in the middle of Harry's room. "I put together some drinks and I thought the kids might like to set up at the table. I know that Hermione brought her books and I also know that Harry hasn't finished his reading list for the summer."

Harry smiled and nodded at the not-so-subtle reminder that even though school didn't start until the fall, David had been assigning him some work to instill theory before Harry was able to actually practice dueling again. He was currently working his way through a book of dark magical creatures since Voldemort was notorious for allying himself with other dangerous monsters.

"Come on Hermione, we've got essays to write." Harry urged as he wheeled over to his desk and pulled the aforementioned book and a notebook out of his desk along with an ink pen.

"It must be so nice to avoid quills, but you shouldn't get out of practice." Hermione pointed out as they began to set up on the kitchen table.

Harry shrugged. "Actually my new school doesn't require quills. They consider them outdated and messy. In fact I'll take notes with notebooks and pens like this and turn in assignments that are typed out on the computer."

Hermione stared at her friend enviously. "Okay, now I'm insanely jealous."

Harry chuckled. "David was saying all along that England was behind the rest of the magical world. I'm actually looking forward to school starting, and not because I can get away from home like last time. Here, I get to live at home and just go to school during the day. It's very different."

"I would say so." Hermione agreed.

The teens had been very quiet while they worked. Meanwhile the adults had been in the living room trading stories about parenting wizards and witches. They looked up when Hermione came out and started towards Harry's room.

"Hermione?" Jane called out.

Hermione blushed slightly. "I have to go to the loo."

The adults smiled and nodded. Then Jane stood. "I'm just going to get some water." She mentioned.

When Jason offered, she waved him off. "Nonsense, I'm perfectly capable."

Harry was bent over a large book when she entered.

"Hey Dad, look at this troll!" The teen exclaimed mistaking the new presence for his father.

"Actually I would like to see it." Jane smile at the boy's shocked face. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

Harry shook his head. "Not at all."

Jane leaned over his shoulder to get a good look. What she was expecting was not what she saw. When Hermione had described the troll from her first year, she had made it sound like one of the ugly little men that asked riddles and charged tolls. Instead she was staring down at a giant monster with an enormous club!

"This is the creature that you and Hermione faced your first year?" Jane asked in dismay.

"Yes ma'am," Harry nodded

Jane looked down at the caption below the picture and read that a fully grown troll will reach at least ten feet.

"Was the troll an adult?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes ma'am," Harry answered truthfully.

"Mom?"

Jane turned to see her daughter standing in the doorway.

"Hermione I think we need to have a long talk – right now." Jane announced sternly. She started back into the living room. "Harry, I'd like you to come too dear – and bring your book."

Harry glanced at a very nervous Hermione. "What's going on?"

Hermione just shrugged and followed her mother out of the room with Harry right behind her.

Jason looked at Harry questioningly as the teens followed Jane into the living room. Jane pointed at the couch for Hermione to sit. The girl sat immediately. Harry pulled up near her in his chair. Jane stood over her daughter glaring.

"When we were told that you had faced a troll at school, you led us to believe it was nothing more than a little green man who asked riddles and charges tolls to cross bridges." Jane paused as David, who had been taking a sip of his coffee, spewed. He looked at her apologetically and wiped the coffee off his pants. "Then I see a picture of an actual troll – which happens to be ten feet tall and wanting nothing more than to kill and eat you! What else haven't you told us about Hermione?" Jane demanded angrily.

Hermione stared down at her fidgeting hands silently.

"What about that magical creature that froze you? Was that a lie as well?" Jane questioned. "Answer me, Hermione. What has been going on at that school?"

Harry glanced at his best friend nervously. He hadn't seen anyone this angry since he left England and it was making him very nervous. His eyes widened when Jane turned her attention to him.

"Tell me the truth Harry. I want to know what has been going on. What really happened at Hogwarts?" Jane interrogated her daughter's friend.

Harry cut his eyes back to Hermione. The girl met his gaze and then lowered her eyes again. He took it to mean she wasn't going to say anything, but he could say what he wanted.

"There was a magical artifact that the Headmaster was hiding at the school. Despite not having a body, Voldemort was still alive and…" Harry began the story.

Jason interrupted him. "Do you want me to tell her?" He asked, remembering Harry's words the night before.

Harry shook his head, "Thanks but I need to do it. She deserves to hear it from me."

"I deserved to hear it from Hermione." Jane countered giving her daughter a stern look.

"Most of it was my fault." Harry declared before launching into the story before anyone had a chance to disagree with him.

Jane sank onto the couch next to her daughter as Harry told her all the details that Hermione had either skipped or deliberately misled them about since arriving when they were eleven. Jane gasped and held her daughter close when she heard about the sixty foot basilisk. Then she raged at the stupidity of adults forcing children to face actual dragons. Tears streamed down her face as Harry recounted Cedric's death and Voldemort's resurrection.

"And that's it." Harry shrugged, staring down at his shaking hands. It was always so difficult to talk about Cedric and Sirius.

Jane had tears streaming down her cheeks and she was holding Hermione to her tightly. "Oh you poor children," She exclaimed before staring down at her daughter. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew that you would forbid me going back to school. I have to learn magic Mum, I'm not going to suddenly stop being a witch." Hermione spoke up for the first time.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but you're right. You are not going back to Hogwarts." Jane declared sternly.

TBC…