Disclaimer: I do not own anything classic of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, aka, God. All original characters are copyright of me, however.
Magnolia Crescent
Chapter Nine
The Sweet, Sweet Past
"Why do I have to talk to all of the teachers, Hermione?" Harry grumbled, trudging down the second floor corridor. "Why can't you talk to him?"
"Because you have a way with words when it comes to getting information without getting caught. Besides, I need to check on the potion and I don't know how long this conversation will last," she said simply, shoving Harry towards the door and briskly walking away. Nervously, Harry knocked on the door of the Charms classroom.
"Come in," came the voice of tiny Professor Flitwick. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Is there I can help you with?"
"I was actually hoping, er, that you could answer a couple of questions," Harry said quietly.
"Fire away," he squeaked, straightening rolls of parchment on his desk.
"Well, I was wondering what kind of enchantments would be used to properly create a Pensieve," Harry said, stammering slightly.
"An interesting question," Flitwick mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Might I ask the reason behind your inquiry?"
"Simply curious. Honestly, I think Hermione's constant quest for knowledge is starting to rub off on me," he muttered shyly, scratching the back of his head.
"And it's not a bad habit," Flitwick commented. "Let's see, to create a proper Pensieve, you would need to cast Carpe Retractum, Aparecium, and…. Dear me, what was that last spell? There were three of them…." Flitwick said thoughtfully. "Ah, yes! Legilimens!"
"Apar..." Harry trailed off, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Aparecium, the original intent of the spell is to reveal ink on paper. But it is also used to reveal memories that have been stored in a Pensieve potion," Flitwick explained.
"So, what's the point of Carpe Retractum and Legilimens?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Carpe Retractum is used to pull the user into the Pensieve. Legilimens is a spell normally used to see into another's mind. For a Pensieve, the use is similar, only to see the memories stored inside it."
"Okay, that makes perfect sense," Harry said, inclining his head. "Thank you, Professor." Harry waved, turning towards the door.
"Ah, you're welcome, Mr. Potter. It's good to see that you're following in your mother's footsteps instead of your father's," Flitwick commented. Harry paused, hand on the doorframe.
"What do you mean by that, sir?" he asked gently.
"Well, I'm sure you know by now that your father was quite the rule-breaker, along with his friends. Lily, on the other hand, was very much like Miss Granger – she was always studying and preferred to focus on her grades, rather than finding a new way to break the rules," Flitwick explained.
"What was she like?" Harry asked, always seeking more information about his parents.
"You're not familiar with them?" Flitwick asked, astounded.
"No one really talks about them, Professor. I didn't know anything about them until my first year. I thought they had died in a car crash," Harry explained calmly. The old professor studied Harry, rubbing his white beard.
"You have no idea who you are, do you?" the professor realized. The tiny man hopped out from behind his desk and pulled out his wand. With a quick flick of his wrist, a series of books flew off a shelf and onto a nearby desk.
"What are these, Professor?" Harry asked, looking at the books.
"Well, before Hogwarts became famous, Harry, we didn't have nearly as many students. So, every year we printed out yearbooks. However, in recent years, the amount of students we have make it a little tedious and far too expensive. However, I always kept mine for each year and, as luck would have it, those years include your parents' school years," he smiled.
He quickly thought to himself, recalling what years Lily and James were in school. Then, with a smile, he pulled out the yearbooks marked for 1971 through 1978.
"Yes, I remember those days; the marauders had a habit of wearing Muggle clothing – drove the staff up the wall. Some students dyed their hair, ah, the punk rock era. That was a teaching nightmare."
"What do you mean, Professor?" asked Harry.
"Let's just say our Weasley twins are hardly the miscreants everyone thinks they are compared to this era. The marauders, which your father was part of, gave us no end of grief. I had just started teaching then, as well, and right after my dueling club, the group tested every ounce of patience I never knew I had," he chuckled.
"So my father was a trouble maker as well," Harry realized as Flitwick flipped through the book.
"Oh, yes. We were so thankful when he took Quidditich that we practically threw a party," he laughed. "Our celebration was cut short when they proceeded to make time to drive us up the wall. In some cases, quite literally. Poor Professor Slughorn," he sighed, frowning. "Ah, where were we – let's see, Year One, Sirius Black." Flitwick pointed him out. "He was a marauder as well, best friends with your father. You know, I never really took him for the type…" he said slowly, fading as he finished.
"The type?" Harry asked, looking over at the Professor.
"Nothing, let's see here. Lily, ah, here she is." He smiled as he pointed her out. Her figure waved at the two, smiling. "She was an amazing student and one of the kindest hearts. I remember, in her second year, during the dueling club, she went against your father. Let's just say your father couldn't get a word in edgewise, let alone a spell. She was one of the few people James ever really feared after that. She was skilled; I heard she was capable of controlling her magic before she even got a wand. She was overflowing with talent and skill. Lily was even able to do some wandless magic before she left school.
"Let me tell you something, Harry, she was even asked to join You-Know-Who. Harry, let me explain this: You-Know-Who hated muggleborns. Your mother was so powerful, that he was willing to bend the rules to let her join. That is no small feat."
"Incredible," Harry murmured, blinking. Flitwick nodded.
"Your father," he continued as he turned the page. "Was more like you in the sense that he drew people around him. He was charismatic, not as much as Dumbledore or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he had his loyal friends. His skill with magic was above average but his skill with a broom, now that was something to be admired. In fact, I heard it was a common topic he would bring up around friends. He always wanted to go pro, but things happened and well, that dream was taken away from him."
"Really?" Harry encouraged. "Hey, is that Professor Snape?" he asked, noticing a picture.
"Yes, greasy little boy, even then, isn't he?" Flitwick smirked. "Yes, he was a quiet boy back in the day; he and your mother were good friends. He just fell into the wrong group. He and your father were almost always at each other's throats. I never could understand his motivations."
"Pardon me, Professor," Harry interrupted.
"Sorry, Harry. I just kept going on now, didn't I?" asked the wizard.
"It's alright, Professor. I really like hearing about my parents. You seem to know a lot about them," Harry dismissed.
"I always keep an eye on talented individuals, so much skill in that generation – all wasted." He frowned. "And I find myself talking about them to no end, I am afraid. How about something to snack on?" He smiled as he swished his wand and a small tin popped out of his desk.
"Thanks," Harry smiled, picking up a cupcake. "So, what happened to the rest of the family?" he asked. The professor paused for a moment as he was about to bite into his pastry.
"Didn't your aunt and uncle tell you anything about the rest of your family?" asked the professor, concern growing as the conversation continued.
"They told me my parents died in a car crash, and I didn't learn about Hogwarts until my first year," Harry explained, not really bothered by it.
"Perhaps another day, Mr. Potter. I am going to need some time to catch my breath," he replied as he started to eat.
"Professor, something has been bothering me a bit. How did the problem of blood come into question. With the events of last year, everyone would talk about blood, however, no one explained why," Harry asked. The Charms professor set his food down.
"What is that ghost teaching," he said, frowning. "Brace yourself, this is a dreadfully long explanation." He clasped his hands as he took a deep breath. "The power He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gained is based on history. Back before the school was formed, Harry, the wizarding population was much larger. Then a massive amount of Muggle-borns popped up. Well, at the time, there was no problems – more wizards. A generation passed and a large amount of squibs appeared. The wizarding world went into a panic at the idea of losing their magic. So, the idea of blood came into question. Which is why Salazar Slytherin adopted the idea of only taking in pure-blood. He feared the destruction of his world. Well, another generation passed and the wizarding world started to regain its numbers. Then, the Muggle-borns started to pop up again, another explosion like before. Blood families remembered what happened last time this happened. Now that we have gone back, most of those lost families have in face returned to the wizarding world. Some scholars believe magic was balancing itself out. However, there are those who don't see this or ignore it and continue to believe Muggle-borns are the reason that our world is so small."
"Amazing," Harry replied, returning to his pastry. "So, why isn't this common knowledge?"
"Harry, people don't always believe the truth. Even if they did, there are some people in this world that don't care and just want to be better than other people, no matter how unjust it is," he commented. Harry blinked as he could have sworn he saw Mr. Malfoy for a brief moment. "In fact, a lot of You-Know-Who's followers know this. But that brings up a whole 'nother reasoning for the last war."
"This seems far too confusing. How could people be so cruel?" asked Harry.
"The world is filled with people who take advantage of these situations. The problem with black magic, Harry, isn't that it's evil, but that people who learn it have this odd desire to use it on people. You remind me so much of your mother with every passing moment. But I think that this is enough for today," he chuckled.
"I guess so, Professor. Thank you for everything," Harry nodded, quickly walking out of the door. The door shut as the professor glanced down at the yearbooks.
"I wonder," he mused to himself. "I think it's time I paid a visit to Minerva about Mr. Potter. This recent conversation has brought up some pressing concerns." He frowned as he finished his cupcake.
The aging witch was going over papers when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. She glanced up but saw nothing; she returned to her work but paused. She glanced down again to see "Filius," she greeted. "What brings you here?" she asked, smiling a bit.
"Minerva, I don't mean to bother you but I have recently come across something of interest," the Charms professor started. She didn't speak as she looked at him. "Harry Potter came by today asking me about a few Charms spells."
"Nothing dangerous, I hope," McGonagall frowned. "Dear me, he hasn't done anything wrong, has he? Heaven forbid, we have another James on our hands." She started to panic.
"Nothing of the sort, calm down," he reassured. "The Charms are not the issue, they are difficult, but hardly dangerous. No, a line of questioning has come up recently and it has me concerned." He glanced at her, knowing she could read his concern as plain as day. "Harry's knowledge of the wizarding world and of his parents has come to light. I am a little concerned that nobody has bothered to sit him down and talk to him."
"Why am I not surprised. I never did like those Muggle," she sighed. "I know what you are thinking, but Filius, I've had this conversation before. The Potter family is all but dead; they fell to the dragon pox. We both know how deadly that can be late in life. Lily's parents, however, are a touchy subject." She frowned, not wanting to talk about it.
"Something bad happened?" Filius asked, pressing the woman for information. She bit her lip as if trying to find a way to word it.
"The official story is that they died from a Muggle illness. But as much as I would like to say otherwise, there was nothing wrong with them when they died. Nothing, no long term illness, they just dropped dead. We didn't talk about it, since there was no proof but it was what pushed the kind Lily into the Order."
"I always thought it was an odd fit," he admitted, casually rubbing his beard. She nodded in agreement.
"It would have been Black who would have been next in line, but sadly, he is the reason they died. So Harry was sent to live with that woman," she spat.
"Not the kindest of people, I take it?"
"I'll admit, I was a bit judgmental, but their outlook rubs me the wrong way. But I think it's not too surprising that Harry is so ill informed. I don't know many who would be able to talk with him about it."
"What about Remus?" asked Filius. "He was a friend of the family, I am sure he could talk to Harry," he pointed out.
"I don't know if that would work. Remus lost his best friends that night, I don't know how willing he would be to talk." She frowned. "For now, let's keep our eyes open and see if we can't give Harry a push in the right direction. I think I have a few spells he might be interested in."
"What do you mean?" asked Filius as he watched Minerva head to her bookshelf, glancing over the titles. "What are you looking for?" he asked, watching her nose through books.
"Here it is. Now, I don't know about you, but I always have my students, during their first year, write a paper about themselves. I make it a habit to keep them and I think Mr. Potter would find them interesting." She smiled, pulling out a book.
"You had them bound?" he asked as she set the book down.
"Hardly," she scoffed, tapping her wand a few times on the cover. A few pages slipped out. "It just helps me keep things in order. Now, if you would be so kind as to make sure he gets these, I would be greatly appreciative."
"I am sure I can get it to him before the night is up," Flitwick said smirking.
"Carpe Retractum," Harry cast, waving his wand. He grinned as the book slid across the room to him. Then, he backed away as the book was pulled to him. It didn't take him long to master the charm and soon, he would try to work on the other two. Harry had been at it for a long time and the sun had already set.
Harry released a deep breath as he sat down in one of the armchairs. He stared at the fire, letting himself relax. He was just about to fall asleep when something poked him. Harry blinked as he tried to shake off sleep. He glanced down to see a small group of makeshift paper airplanes on the ground. Harry sighed, not to thrilled at the interruption. He picked up one of the odd airplanes. Unfolding it, he noticed it had some writing on it. His annoyance soon shifted as he read. He chuckled as he read about his father's dream, back when he was 11. He smirked, reading about James wanting to be a hero with his new best friend, Sirius. He chuckled as he went over the small amount of writing his father put down. Harry paused, however, when he got to the end. The ending was out of place but talked about how rude some black-haired kid with a crooked nose had been to him and went on about teaching manners to rude people. Harry frowned a bit at that but didn't think too much on it.
The next paper airplane he figured was for his mother, but, unlike his father, was much longer. The starting seemed simple enough – she wanted to be a doctor. He got a few sentence in when she mentioned her best friend Severus. Harry blinked, remembering his father's "rude kid" and wondered if the two might be the same. He got up from his chair as he began to wonder about the Potions master.
"I wonder if my parents wronged him when they went to school," Harry muttered to himself. "It would explain his behavior. Who knows, maybe I could talk to Snape about it." Harry rolled his eyes. "I doubt Snape would talk about it." He returned to his mother's paper as he became engrossed with the little things he could figure out from the mother he never got to meet.
Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get up. Life has been extremely hectic and it's been hard for either me or starwarsdude to sit down and work on this. And as for the Book Four installment, we've decided to continue it under Magnolia Crescent. Most of this chapter was authored by SWD, seeing as he's got more time on his hands that I do, but whateve. Enjoy, and please R&R! 3 LE