Chapter 17: Changes/Dumbledore's Chestnuts Roasting on a McGonagall Fire
Stick tap to SLYNNR for the second chapter title. I laughed out loud when I read the suggestion
The car shuddered to a stop, Harry woke. Looking up, he saw Hermione had also fallen asleep. He took the time to study her face, memorizing the pattern of freckles on her nose and underneath her eyes. He appreciated her hair which appeared to be losing its bushiness, softening into complex curls. After the last two weeks, she was a sight for literal sore eyes.
"We're home, kid," Richard said softly. He opened the car door and helped Harry sit up. Hermione stirred and opened her eyes, searching out Harry's. Broken as he was, it was still a relief to see him again.
"Come on," Richard hefted Harry out of the car. "Let's get you up to bed. I thought you might have some need for it, so I've got a couple bags of IV fluid for you. Hopefully, some fluids will help you heal faster."
Taking an arm, he helped Harry into the house, Richard helped Harry up the stairs and into his room. At the foot of the bed sat his school trunk. With Richard's help, Harry changed into his pajamas and slid gingerly into bed. Richard set up the IV and inserted the tube into Harry's arm.
"I am glad you're safe, kid," Richard sat on the edge of his bed. "Hermione hasn't been herself the last two weeks. She's been sick with worry and, to tell you the truth, so have I.
"Listen," Richard laid a hand on top of Harry's. "As Hermione's father, I am naturally inclined to hate any boy my daughter spends time with. As such, I find myself surprised at how much I like you. Helen and I will sleep soundly tonight, knowing you are safe."
"Thank you for rescuing me," Harry said. "Every day that I spent there, I wished each morning the doorbell would ring and you, Hermione and Helen would be there and I wouldn't have to see them again for another year. My last thought as I passed out was hoping Hermione would help me.
"I've never had a great relationship with adults," Harry said. "You've seen who I grew up with but it didn't end there. Every teacher I ever I had took their side and overlooked my mistreatment. I soon learned to trust no one and rely on myself. Somehow, against all odds, Hermione got around my defenses and all three of you actually earned my trust.
"I can't explain it but there's something different about Hermione, about all three of you," Harry looked into Richard's eyes. "And I like it."
"For what it's worth," Richard kept eye contact. "You've been just as good for Hermione as she has been for you. You make her happy. As her father, that's all I want for her. As to your relatives, you are not going back. Get that idea out of your head right now."
Standing up, Richard moved toward the door before turning back.
"You've had a rough night, Harry. Get some sleep."
Richard exited the room and softly closed the door. Walking down the hall, he entered the master bedroom. Sitting on the mattress, he put his head in his hands and wept. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that room, Harry's broken body lying within.
In Hermione's room, Helen was embracing her daughter.
"Are you okay, Winter?" Helen knew the answer. Hermione was shaking in her arms, raspy sobs coming hard and fast.
"How could they do that to him!?" Hermione looked at her mother in desperation. "I thought… I thought he was going to die. I thought I had lost him."
"He probably would have," Helen said, making Hermione gasp. "But you saved him. You saved his life. Remember that always. Now it's been an emotional night. Harry is resting and you must rest as well. Tomorrow, the journey to recovery starts. He'll need us to be strong for it."
"I love you, mum."
"I love you too, Winter."
Exiting the room, Helen's eyes were hard. Swiftly, she moved down the stairs.
In the master bedroom, Richard's sobs ceased as the door opened again. In the room stood Helen, a determined look on her face. Richard had only seen this look a few times. The first time was when Richard had asked her to marry him. Helen's family tried to oppose the union but Helen would not let them interfere. Resolutely she stood between her family and shouted "this is the man I love and I will marry him, with or without your blessing."
The second time came when they were trying to have children. Doctors and specialists across Britain told them it was unlikely they would conceive. She looked him dead in the eye and told him "we are having a child."
No one could stand against the force that was Helen Granger. She threw a form down on the bed.
"Sign it," she said.
Richard picked up the form and read the top.
"Guardian papers? Helen… we can't."
"We can and we will." This was neither a request nor a debate. "I will NOT send him back to that place. He is a sweet boy who has shown our daughter nothing but kindness. I looked into it: Vernon and Petunia Dursley never officially took custody. There's nothing to stop us from doing this.
"That boy has done so much for our daughter. It is time we did something for him beyond buying him clothes," Helen's look was as resolute as Richard had ever seen. "Sign. It."
"Helen…"
"Sign it!"
"We need to ask Harry what he wants. And Hermione. I know you've seen how close they are and I'm not talking brother/sister close. We can't take the choice out of their hands."
"He will agree," Helen was not budging. "I know it. And I've already talked to Hermione about it. She's fine with us becoming his guardians."
"If he agrees, I will sign."
"Then tomorrow we will talk to him," Helen picked up the form, placing it on the dresser. Without changing, she wrapped her arms around his middle and cuddled into him on the bed. Within minutes, they fell asleep, not even bothering to turn out the light.
Miles away, up north, an irate Minerva McGonagall stormed into Dumbledore's office.
"Ah Minerva," Dumbledore addressed his deputy. "How many I help you this evening?"
With as much force as possible, she slammed Dumbledore's letter onto the desk. Sensing the storm that approached, Fawkes left his perch and flamed out of the room.
"I just came from Privet Drive where Vernon Dursley just about murdered Harry!" She screamed. Dumbledore paled and looked at his gadgets in the corner.
The wards are strong, so the boy is still alive.
"I told you all those years ago they were the worst sort!" McGonagall was pacing the room, glaring at Dumbledore with every pass. "You saw the sheet from Pomfrey. How in the world could you send him back there!?"
"The protection…"
"Don't. Even. Start!" McGonagall advanced on the headmaster. "Your protections are worth Hippogriff shit. He is not going back there."
"He must!"
"Over my dead body! You know I was James' Godmother so that boy is basically family and it is time I started acting like it. I never opposed his placement as I should have from the start. I will carry that with me forever but from now on, I will be taking care of that boy's protection."
"You are not a blood relative!" Dumbledore tried to push back. "The wards only work if he lives with a blood relative."
"To hell with the wards! We both want to protect Harry. The only difference between you and I is I am actually acting in the best interests of HARRY!
"I trusted you. For years, Albus, I trusted that you knew what you were doing, that it actually was the right thing to do. However, after seeing the state Harry arrived here in, after the stone and especially after you had no idea Voldemort was riding shotgun on your DEFENSE PROFESSOR'S HEAD!0
"If I didn't know any better, I would think you had planned…" McGonagall gasped as Dumbledore reacted. "You did!?"
McGonagall let out a stream of Gaelic curse words that would make a sailor blush.
"Why in Merlin's name would you do that? Were you testing Harry?"
"I needed to know that I could count on him," Dumbledore hung his head. "I was ready to step in at a moment's notice if I needed but I needed to know if he could be the next leader the light needs. Plus, I wanted to know if the wards were still active."
"Even if they are, they did not stop him from being beaten half to death. If it were not for the quick actions of Hermione Granger and her family, he could have been paralyzed or worse! And you sit there and talk of protection, like him being alive is more important to you than being happy. As if the ends justify the bloody means!
McGonagall decided it was time for the gloves to truly come off.
"That was the kind of protection Ariana had, did she not?" Dumbledore looked like had been slapped. Yes I know about Ariana, Albus. Aberforth loves to talk when he's drunk and he is drunk quite often. "How did that work out for her?"
"Harry will NEVER return to Privet Drive," McGonagall said. "I personally will work to set up some actual protection for the boy and Miss Granger's family. Them being so close to the boy will make them a target. You must realize this, right? Did you ever think to protect them?"
Dumbledore blanched.
"You complete JACKASS!" McGonagall drew her wand. "You know all it would take to lure Harry out into the open would be to capture the Grangers. That boy would move heaven and earth to save them!
"Tomorrow," McGonagall's rage filled the air. "We are going to the ministry where you are going to sign over magical guardianship of that boy to me."
"That's not necessary," Dumbledore said. He hated having things out of his control and he needed to help Harry become the next leader the world needed. "I have made mistakes but…"
"But nothing! When the story of what happened to the boy under your supposed care, and it will come out..."
"There is no need…" Dumbledore cut across her.
You do love your secrets, don't you, Albus.
"Harry had a burst of accidental magic when Vernon was beating him and then Hermione had two when coming to rescue him. That prompted the Aurors to investigate. Since the Statute was possibly at risk, that meant Amelia," Dumbledore paled again. "She is going to be building a case against Vernon and Petunia for child abuse, among other things. It will take time for her to put the case together but everything will come out at that case.
"At such time, your role will be called into question. They will strip you of your magical guardianship which will leave his guardianship in question. You know how Lucius Malfoy operates: Harry would almost certainly end up with them and you know it.
"We are getting out in front of this," McGonagall had calmed her rage to a soft simmer. "I am his head of house, his father was my godson; nobody will bat an eye at the transfer of guardianship. Oh and one last thing:"
Turning her wand on the gadgets, McGonagall shouted "Reducto!"
All the gadgets, the whizzing silver instruments, the golden ticking devices and the table on which they stood turned to dust.
"Now tomorrow you will sign over guardianship," She glared at him. "And I can start to make up for my mistakes and begin to take care of protecting my ward, to ensure he isn't simply alive but also hapy."
Turning on her heel, McGonagall stormed from the office. Dumbledore turned to the dust that used to be his monitors on the Boy-Who-Lived. Opening a drawer, he fished out a picture of a girl with golden blonde hair smiling up on him. He read what she wrote on the photo.
You are the greatest good I'll ever have, brother.
"Oh Ariana," Dumbledore wept. "What have I done? What have I become?"
He never moved the rest of the night as he pondered everything that had come of his machinations. Whether consciously or not, he had slipped into thinking about the "Greater Good" and forgot what the ultimate cost to that was. As morning dawned, Albus Dumbledore finally stood up, joined McGonagall in her office where they flooed to the ministry. Albus signed the transfer papers and, when Minerva added hers, the parchment shone gold, confirming the transfer.
Albus then went back to his office, poured himself a drink and continued to think about Harry, about the prophecy and about the future.
Further south, the green eyes on Harry Potter opened. He was in the bed at the Grangers' house. Closing his eyes, he drank in the smells of the room. He could smell the wood of the bedframe and the lavender scent of the sheets. From downstairs, he caught the aroma of bacon wafting up. Without thinking he sat up before his back screamed in pain. He reached for his back before he remembered the tube in his arm.
"What do you think you're doing?" A female voice drew his attention. Fumbling for his glasses, he found them on the bedside table. Putting them on, he saw Hermione sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. "You have to take it easy, Harry. Madam Pomfrey told us you are to keep off your feet for the next three days."
Harry groaned. Even though he knew he needed to heal, he did not like being still, having nothing else to do.
"Mum will be up shortly with breakfast," Hermione said. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"Actually, there is," Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "One, can you grab my family grimoire from my trunk? I figure this is as good a time as any to dig into my family history. Two, can you help me sit up?"
Hermione retrieved the red leather book, setting it on his bedside table before propping him up with pillows.
"Thank you," Harry said. "For everything."
"You are welcome, Harry," Hermione smiled for the first time in weeks. "If you need anything else, please let us know. I'll let mum know you're awake so she can bring you breakfast."
Leaning back into the pillows, Harry closed his eyes and let the tension of the last two weeks drain out of him. He was about to reach out for his grimoire when Helen walked in with a tray. She set it down and then pulled the tube from Harry's arm.
"Good morning, Harry," she smiled warmly. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore," Harry said. "But better than yesterday, that's for sure."
"It's good to see you awake and alert," Helen said, placing the tray in front of him before sitting on his bed. "It's also nice to see Hermione smile again. She was worried sick the entire last two weeks."
"Well it was only the thought that she- and you and Richard- were coming that kept me going."
"Well you're here now," Helen gave him her best motherly smile. "We will take care of you and have you back on your feet in no time. Now, eat up and if you need anything, there's a bell on your table. Richard and I have arranged our schedule so that one of us will be here for you should you need anything."
"Thank you, Helen," Harry smiled her. Picking up the fork, dug into his food with gusto. Helen smiled as she watched him eat. After he finished, she helped him take his morning potions, grabbed the tray and stood up.
"Remember to let us know if you need anything," Helen walked out of the room.
Settling in, Harry grabbed his families' grimoire and started to read. Page after he page, he read the history of his family. With a history dating back to the Roman Occupation, the story of the Potter family was quite lengthy. Throughout the book, they listed several spells developed through the years. One such spell caught his eye: the lightning whip.
Developed by his grandfather Charlus, it was incredibly difficult to do but certainly powerful, it conjured a whip of pure electricity that could both swat incoming spells away and be used offensively as well. It needed to be used within a certain proximity otherwise it was more less ineffective.
All spells in the book were developed to be non-verbal to protect the secrets of the family. According to Flitwick, they would not be starting non-verbal spells until the fifth year at the earliest. Usually, they started it at the beginning of the sixth year but since Harry and Hermione were already starting on the second year material, he thought they might be able to start to do it around their fifth year.
Filing that away, Harry kept reading, drinking in the words on the pages until he reached the last entry.
Familial Protection charm: Created by Lily Potter in July 1981. A unique combination ritual and charms, this will protect an individual from even the strongest magical attacks. Charm is powered by the sacrifice of one person for another. The stronger the affection, the stronger the protection.
Harry looked up and rubbed his eyes.
So that was what my mother did, Harry thought. A charm that would only activate with the sacrifice of a loved one. The protection isn't even tied to my blood. I never needed to go there...
Anger bloomed in Harry's heart. Dumbledore made assumptions and assumed he knew best. He also never checked up on Harry in his time there. Any chance of Harry trusting Dumbledore died then and there.
That night, there was a knock on the door and all three Grangers entered the room. Helen and Richard took up spots on either side of his bed while Hermione walked around to sit next to him.
"Hey Harry," Richard said. "How are you feeling?"
"Assuming I don't move too quickly, I feel great," Harry smiled at him. "Thank you for the IV, it helped a lot."
"Glad to hear it," Richard smiled. "We were hoping to talk with you about something."
"Well," Harry made to look at his wrist where a watch would be. "I have a meeting to get to but I guess I could move things around for you."
Hermione smacked him on the arm.
"This is serious," she said, even though she was smiling.
"Harry…" Helen stepped forward, fumbling with something in her hand. "This spring, I looked into things regarding you and found something interesting: your relatives never formally took custody of you. No paperwork, nothing. You have a birth certificate, a history of attending school and that's it."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked.
"It means that this," Helen laid a form in front of him. "Can be incredibly easy."
Picking up the form, Harry read it slowly.
"Guardianship?" Harry looked up, torn between confusion and excitement. "You'd do that?"
He looked from one Granger to the next before resting his eyes on Hermione. Each one nodded in turn.
"Would you be okay with this?" Harry asked Hermione.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Hermione smiled at him. "This would make sure you never have to return to Privet Drive. I don't care what protection is put in place, there's no way you're going back."
"Actually," he returned her smile. "I learned today that I don't need to live there to be protected. I'm not even sure the protection is still there beyond that night. I found out in my family's book that my mum developed a new charm that's powered by sacrifice of one loved one for another. The deeper the love, the better the protection.
"When I was fighting Quirrell," Harry continued. "His hands didn't start to burn until I looked at you. My last thought running through my head was 'thank you for showing me what it meant to be loved.' That's when his hands started to burn. It definitely isn't tied to blood, my mother's or mine."
Harry looked back at the elder Grangers.
"When I looked into the mirror, the first thing I saw was my parents. After that, I saw the three of you and Neville. If the inscription on the mirror was correct and it shows you your heart's desire. All my life, I've wanted a family. If you're willing to take on guardianship of me, I would be gladly accept."
Helen smiled widely and Richard laughed. Another win for the force of nature that is Helen Granger.
"On one condition," Harry said. "I would like to have Gringotts ward your home and place of work. I know there's at least a few people who are out to get me. I want to make sure that all three of you are safe, whatever the cost."
"We were planning on doing something along those lines," Richard said. "Though we don't expect you to pay for it. We can work it out later. Welcome to the family, kid."
Richard handed Harry a pen to sign the papers.
"We will file those tomorrow and you will be all set," Helen said as she took the papers back. "Now, Madam Pomfrey will be by in two days and see if you're cleared to start walking."
Helen and Richard left the room, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked her. "Your parents said you weren't yourself the last two weeks."
"How am I doing!" Came Hermione's exasperated response. "You were beaten within an inch of your life and you're asking how I am!?"
"It can't have been easy on you," Harry said. "You didn't hear from me for two weeks. Our departure was rather abrupt and I'm guessing that was you Vernon shouted at?"
Hermione nodded
"Oh Harry," she started to cry. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure I made things worse."
"Actually, you made things better," Harry said which shocked Hermione. "Aunt Petunia had intimated that I didn't have any friends and, despite my best efforts, I was worried that she was right. When you called, I knew that I still had friends, that I was not alone."
"You never will be, Harry," Hermione smiled at him.
Harry yawned widely, leading Hermione to help him lay down.
"I'm sure you weren't able to focus on homework, were you?" Harry asked her. "How about we start work on it tomorrow? We can't let the top student slip, now can we."
"That sounds like a plan," Hermione finally started to seem like herself. "Sleep well, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow."
As Hermione stood, she examined her best friend. His eyes closed with a small smile on his face, he finally looked at peace. Before she reached the door, he was fast asleep. Smiling, Hermione closed the door softly behind her.
(A/N: The lightning whip is used in DZ2's "Knowledge is Power" and I always wanted to see that spell explored some more.
I haven't really planned or thought of any other family spells as my focus will be more on developing unique spell chains instead of actual spells. I am open to any suggestions if you have any.
I know the Grangers taking guardianship/adopting Harry has been done a lot of times before and it frankly just makes sense. Now we don't need to readdress Dumbledore/Dursley thing again. We'll see the Dursleys one more time and that's it. Onward and upward.
As always, thank you reading and the constructive comments along the way.)
