Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Harry sat in the seat in front of the Minister's desk, fidgeting a bit.
"Longbottom's group report?" Kingsley asked him.
"They found another book, The Darkest Objects. The book hunt just started, but so far they've managed Diagon Alley and Hogwarts."
Since the end of the war, a lot of restoration was needed. In order to insure this, Kingsley had temporarily restarted the D.A. They had separated into seven different groups, each with a group leader that reported to Harry, who, in turn, reported to Kingsley. Neville's group was responsible for eradicating mention of Horcruxes. Ron and Luna were in that group, as well as a few others. Hermione's group helped with the Hogwarts clean up, while Ernie MacMillan led a small troop through the different villages Voldemort had destroyed. There were several other groups, including one that was currently building a memorial to put in the Hogwarts Courtyard.
Many people had thought this was a bad idea and that the young witches and wizards should not be responsible with such actions. But they'd all fought in the battle of Hogwarts, and Harry had put them through two weeks more training, enough for them to be able to defend themselves until an emergency Auror was able to show up, called by a Patronus.
Harry shuffled through his owled in reports, reading them off to Kingsley and giving him any smaller details. After the meeting, Harry Flooed back to Grimmauld Place.
He brushed the ash off his shirt and opened the curtains hanging in front of a window. Sunlight streamed in, brightening the entire room. Harry squinted out the glass. It was a nice day outside, and Harry wanted to enjoy the summer while it lasted. Soon, it would turn to fall, and with that the D.A. would disband and all would go back to their jobs, schools, or, in the case of him and Ron, start Auror training.
With a flick of his wand, Harry changed into Muggle clothes and pocketed the letter. Stepping back outside, he used his hand to comb his bangs back over his forehead, and set out at an even pace. The park he chose was beautiful one. A path led the way in a loop around the space with several trails leading into the woods that bordered the East and South. In the center of the park, a playground hosted a dozen excited children, running and playing tag. The rest of the park was a large field, dotted with flowers of all colors. Small fruit trees had been planted in the park as well, and Harry could see the beginnings of an apple on one. He sat down on a bench underneath a late-blooming tree and began to read.
Dear Harry,
Happy eleventh birthday! You'll be getting your Hogwarts letter today! Here are some words of advice: 1) Be confident in your actions. People tend to like you better when you seem less hesitant. Going into Hogwarts, you can only gain, not lose. 2) Friends mean the world. Cherish your friends. Realize that a fight was silly,; and make up. 3) Slytherin's not all that bad. Plenty of Slytherins are good people. 4) Don't you dare eat too much candy from the trolley. You do not want to get sick at the feast. 5) Follow the rules. More detention = less time to study. Now, onto your present.
When you were really little, before we went into hiding, the rest of the Marauders would visit often. You always liked Sirius the best, which is good because you should be living with him now. Well, when he came over, he would turn into a dog. You quickly developed a habit of riding him (safety charms in place). Once, on your ride, you wanted to go outside. Since Muggles aren't very used to seeing babies riding large dogs, we told you no. So you know what you did? You brought the outside inside. The carpet turned into grass, flowers popped up, even a few trees. The sun was shining from the ceiling and clouds floated overhead. I swear I even saw a few birds fly by. Don't worry, though, we were able to fix it. Remus was thoroughly impressed, though. Peter was too. Kept whispering excitedly.
Have fun at Hogwarts, and please follow the rules (I actually think that Dad and Sirius hold the record for most detentions - assuming Filch keeps a record).
Love, Mum & Dad
P.S. Tickle the pear - Dad
Harry stood up and began to walk around the park, lost in his thoughts. It all seemed so well thought-out and planned, as though him living through an attack was more than a possibility; almost as though it were a fact. And again, he wondered, why write these letters? One could not just know he would survive. Defeating Voldemort - not defying, as his parents had done - but actually defeating him? The only one anyone would have thought was able to that was Dumbledore, not a baby. Unless, he supposed, they had heard the prophecy, which might mean that they thought that he could have defeated him on his first confrontation. But then, what about the power the Dark Lord knows not?
About seven meters ahead of Harry, a small family was walking on the path. The boy was jabbering non-stop, so quick that Harry couldn't understand a word he was saying.
"Zack," the man said. "You need to slow down. I know you're excited, but you've still got two weeks left of summer."
"I know! Two weeks! And we haven't even gotten my books! Oo, when we do, can I get a cat?"
"We've already talked about this," he mother reminded him gently. "You're not getting owl because you're sharing with your brother and-"
"Toads are just stupid, so can I please get a cat? Please?"
"Maybe, but only if you behave for the next few days…"
"What House do think I'll be in? I hope I'm in Ravenclaw, like you, Dad. Or Gryffindor. Patty says I'll be good in Gryffindor, and that's the House she's in, so she's got to know something about it."
"Zack," the man warned. "We're in a Muggle park. Be quieter."
The boy seemed to have not heard this comment, and continued talking. "I'm really nervous, though, too. What if no one likes me? That wouldn't be fun."
"There's no need to be nervous." Harry himself didn't know he was going to say anything until the words were already out of his mouth. And now he had to say something else. Because they were staring at him. Crap. "Going into Hogwarts…" Think quickly, what can I say? "You can only gain, not loose." Thank Merlin his mum was a good writer.
"Are you Harry Potter?" the boy asked, curious.
"I am," Harry said. At least this was something he was used to. "And who are you?"
"My name is Mark Corrigan," the man held out his hand for Harry to shake, which he did.
"I'm his wife, Sarah," the woman introduced herself. "And this is our son, Zack."
"Hello, Zack," Harry greeted the boy. Zack didn't respond.
"I should probably be leaving now," Harry said. "But it was nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan. You too, Zack."
Harry left the park, ready to go back to Grimmauld Place and make himself dinner. The August sun hung low in the sky, the shadows lengthening on the pavement. A cool breeze flew by, reminding Harry that Autumn was starting soon, and with it, Auror training.
Thanks for reading! Words: 1,210.This chapter isn't my best (or longest), but in my defense, I had really bad writer's block and restarted the second half four times. ragsweas and Beaker77, thank you both for continuing to post reviews on my story. Millie, all your questions will be answered in later chapters. Aithne, I'm glad you like my story! Please review: Do you want more of the D.A.? The story could work with or without any meetings, but i'll need a decision soon. Also, should we meet Zack again? He would most likely be a minor character in that scenario.