"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Parseltongue"
Writing/Reading
"YELLING"
The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole
Dumbledore popped into existence, as he saw the familiar mismatched house that was the, affectionately called, Burrow; the home of the Weasley Family. Dumbledore couldn't help but shake his head at how far the family had come to end up in a place like this. There had of course been a time when the family had a manor of their own as well as a seat in the Wizengamot, but at some point the Family lost it all, eventually ending up here. Dumbledore knew that the Weasley Family seat on the Wizengamot was being kept in storage, waiting for the Family to reclaim it; but currently, he had no intentions of getting the seat back for the Weasleys, as they were simply nothing more but pawns in his plan to control Harry Potter. A plan that was disturbingly coming apart, much to Dumbledore's dislike.
Dumbledore used the closeness between Harry and the Weasleys to his advantage, including his bond with Hermione Granger, though he was concerned about the possibility of them discovering a secret about her. A secret that he carefully hid away, and wanted to make sure that it was never discovered. Regardless, he knew that he could use the close bond between the Weasleys and Granger with Harry; but if Harry started to become close to the Greengrass Family, particularly to Daphne Greengrass due to the betrothal contract, then all of his plans would be ruined. As Dumbledore mulled over his thoughts, he failed to notice a certain snowy white owl leaving the Burrow.
Dumbledore walked up to the door and knocked. As he waited for someone to answer the door, he quickly collected himself and brought out his grandfatherly smile, and the twinkle in his eyes. Very soon, the door opened, and Dumbledore saw Molly Weasley at the door.
'Perfect, just the person I need to help put my plans back in order.' Dumbledore thought to himself, mentally smirking, as Molly was the most blindly loyal individual to him, more than even Minerva McGonagall or Hagrid. 'Molly will help ensure that my plans are back in order, after all, she was the one that chose to treat Harry like he was another son, giving me just the thing I need to use her against Harry; even if she isn't aware that she's being used against her "son".'
"Why Albus, hello," Molly greeted the headmaster, unaware of his thoughts. "Oh please, come in, come in. I must say, I wasn't expecting a visit from you today."
Dumbledore followed the red-headed woman into the kitchen of the Burrow and turned as she shut the door. He knew that he had to play his cards correctly, to appeal to Molly's motherly nature and care for Harry, if he was to get her on his side.
"Good day Molly, I'm hoping if I could speak to you and Arthur about something important," He said, choosing his words carefully. "It's about Harry. I fear that he may be in grave danger."
As soon as Molly's eyes went wide with fright, Dumbledore knew that he had her right where he wanted her. Quickly as she could, Molly abandoned whatever she was about to do, and began to lead Dumbledore to the living room. Once in the living room, Dumbledore saw Arthur Weasley sitting in a chair, reading what looked like a letter. Unsure as to the contents of the letter, Dumbledore decided to proceed carefully; he didn't want to run the risk of losing the Weasley Family, as they were one of his main means of keeping control over Harry, even if they weren't aware of it.
"Arthur dear?" Molly said to her husband, getting his attention. "Professor Dumbledore is here, to speak to us about Harry. I think we should hear what he has to say."
Arthur stood up from his chair and approached his wife and former headmaster. Dumbledore again felt pleased that he would be able to get the Weasleys to do exactly what he wanted. He just needed to say the right words, and he could get the Weasleys or anyone who was blindly willing to follow him, to do what he wanted.
"Albus, what's this all about?" Arthur asked, concerned for the boy that he, like Molly, came to revere as a seventh son. "Does this have anything to do with Harry staying with the Greengrass Family?"
Dumbledore couldn't help but feel concerned by how Arthur Weasley had already known where Harry was going to stay, especially as it was something that Dumbledore wasn't planning to allow until he learned of the betrothal contract. Nevertheless, he needed the Weasleys, if he was to keep Harry under his thumb.
"As a matter of fact, it does," Dumbledore carefully worded, determined to get the Weasleys on his side. "May I ask, how you knew about Harry being at the Greengrasses?"
Arthur shared a look with Molly and then handed the letter in his hand to the headmaster. As the conversation continued, Molly began to wonder if there was something off with Dumbledore. Even though she had yet to read the letter from Harry, she knew that he would be at the Greengrass family home since Arthur told her; she had been hesitant to allow Harry to go to a family that she believed to be dark, but then again, perhaps she was wrong about them.
Dumbledore read the letter thoroughly, and as he read it, he couldn't help but feel upset by the contents of the letter.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I hope this letter finds you well today, as I wanted to inform you that there was a bit of a change in plans, in regards to the Quidditch World Cup. As I'm sure that Mr. Weasley is aware, a man named Mr. Greengrass approached him to inform him that he and his wife would be having me at their home, and then he would drop me off at your home, along with his daughter, Daphne Greengrass. The reason for this, as I learned from Daphne when Professor Dumbledore brought her to my Muggle relatives' home, is that Daphne's mother, Mrs. Greengrass is my godmother, and Daphne and I are betrothed to each other. My godmother wants to see me and get a chance to know me, as well as give me a chance to get to know Daphne, something that I am willing to admit, I am equally interested in doing as well.
I know and understand that this wasn't what was originally agreed upon when I would be coming to the Burrow for the summer, but I do want to know more about my godmother Elizabeth Greengrass and get to know Daphne. Who knows, maybe this will finally end the longstanding feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin House. I hope that you won't mind having a Slytherin, or maybe a couple of Slytherin students, in your home, given your dislike for Lucius Malfoy, and that Daphne will be welcomed into your home. I'll see you in about a week and a half.
I truly hope you understand my decision to spend some time at the Greengrass family home, but until now, I was unaware that I even had a godmother. Knowing that I have one now, I want to be able to get to know her, find out why she didn't look for me and thus get to know her better. I even sent a letter to Remus Lupin, who was Ron, Hermione, and my DADA professor this recent school year, asking if he was aware that I had a godmother.
Don't be concerned that I'm writing to a werewolf, because Professor Lupin was a good and close friend to my parents when they were in classes together at Hogwarts. If my parents were more than willing to be friends with Lupin, despite his "Furry Little Problem", as he said that they called it, then I don't see why I can't form a close bond with him either. If anything, Lupin was more than likely an honorary uncle for me as an infant, and I am more than happy to rekindle that relationship; something that he too is interested in doing.
Sincerely,
Harry J. Potter
Dumbledore couldn't believe what was happening; how was it possible that Harry was able to send a letter to the Weasleys, and Lupin, without him noticing? He could only assume that the boy had done so when he was still at the Dursley home, and Dumbledore had been too focused on trying to figure out how to keep the boy on the track that he needed him to be. There was also the possibility that Harry may have sent out other letters as well.
"When exactly did this letter arrive Arthur?" Dumbledore asked, using his skills in Occlumency to keep his emotions in check.
Arthur Weasley took the letter back, and handed it to his wife, before looking back to Dumbledore.
"Not too long ago Albus," He answered. "Hedwig had just arrived twenty minutes ago, and delivered this letter, along with two other letters for Ron and Hermione. I had just sent a response back with her, informing Harry that we would accept his reason for staying with the Greengrasses, and look forward to him coming here."
Dumbledore's eye once again twitched, truly disliking how his plan was crumbling, before he even had a chance to incorporate it. He needed the Weasleys on his side if he was to get Harry away from the Greengrasses; Lady Greengrass being the boy's godmother be damned. As he was trying to think and figure out a way to get his plans back in order, the sound of feet loudly stomping down the stairs attracted the adult's attention. In doing so, they saw Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger coming down into the living room, arguing no less.
"IT'S NOT RIGHT HERMIONE!" The youngest Weasley boy shouted, his face red in anger no doubt as he yelled at the bushy-haired Gryffindor girl. "Harry shouldn't be anywhere near any snake that's in Slytherin House, past or present!"
As Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend, the adults easily figured from the tome of the boy's tone, that he was referring to Harry Potter being with the Greengrass Family.
"Give it up Ron, Harry is going to the Greengrasses," Hermione replied, the tone of her voice suggesting that she was doing her best to keep her anger in check. "It's his right if he wants to know his godmother, whether you like it or not."
"GODMOTHER MY ARSE!" Yelled Ron. "The Greengrasses probably just said that so that they can kill Harry! Everyone knows that Slytherins can't be trusted, since they're all Death Eaters or future Death Eaters in training!"
"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" Shouted Molly, angered by the choice of words used by her youngest son. "Hermione is correct, Harry has a right to know his godmother, and it is not your place to argue with it."
"Actually Molly, perhaps your son is correct," Dumbledore said, stepping in to get a handle on the situation, especially since Ronald Weasley had just given him an idea. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before I dropped Harry off at the Greengrasses, but their claim of Elizabeth Greengrass being Harry's godmother, and their eldest daughter being betrothed to Harry may not have been the truth."
Dumbledore couldn't help but smirk to himself as he watched the elder Weasleys think of what he said, as Hermione Granger also looked thoughtful on his words, while the youngest Weasley boy gave a smug smirk to the girl when Dumbledore supported him.
"I don't know Albus," Arthur Weasley said, looking unsure as though he should say what he was about to say. "The Greengrass Family has always been neutral. I remember that they took no role whatsoever in either side of the previous war against You-Know-Who, and it was also very well known that the Potter and Greengrass families were old family friends and allies."
Dumbledore couldn't help but silently grumble at Arthur for somehow knowing that one piece of information that he was unaware of until he had been contacted by the Greengrass Family. If there was one thing that Albus Dumbledore hated, other than his plans not going according to how he set them up, was not having access to important information that would benefit him and his plans. Regardless, Dumbledore needed to get things in order; perhaps if he could confuse the Weasleys, he might be able to get them to do what he wanted them to do, per his plans.
"Are you sure about that Arthur?" He asked, his voice in a tone that would ensure confusion among the Weasleys. "Are you certain that Harry's family were allied and family friends with the Greengrass family? How would you even have known that?"
Dumbledore smugly watched as Arthur Weasley was about to answer his question, all with a look of confusion on his face, but to everyone's utter shock it was Molly Weasley who answered instead. What concerned Dumbledore the most, was the fact that she had an angry look on her face.
"Because the Weasley Family also have an alliance with the Potter Family, and Arthur has often passed Lord Greengrass in the Ministry and has on more than one occasion spoke with him!" She stated, her teeth clenched and her voice held an angry clip in it. "Furthermore, there have been a few times that Arthur and I were invited to tea by the Greengrasses, and they told me and Arthur once that Lady Elizabeth Greengrass was once close friends with Lily Evans, and continued to do so after she married James Potter, who was also a childhood friend of Lord Cyrus Greengrass; that's how Arthur and I came to know that Lady Greengrass was chosen by Lily Potter to be Harry's godmother. When Lady Greengrass learned that Harry often visits here, she contacted me, to ask if I could inform her where Harry was living, I was obligated to tell her where he was, but I also recommended her to contact you first so that there would be no problems for her and her family.
"Ever since Harry came into our lives, you told us not to say anything to him about his heritage," She continued, her anger at herself for not fulfilling her duties as a friend to the Potters just because Dumbledore asked her and Arthur not to. "Because you said that you would tell Harry what he needed to know! But when Lady Greengrass reached out to me, asking me if I knew where Harry was and that she wanted to finally reacquaint herself with her godson, that's when I realized that you never fulfilled your promise. I'm done, taking your orders, and not doing anything, or saying anything to Harry, that would ensure that he will honor the memory of his parents and family!"
Dumbledore stood stone-still in the middle of the room, shocked by what was happening. He always knew that Molly Weasley had a temper and went to great lengths to make sure that he wasn't on the receiving end of it, but now he was.
"But Molly, given that..." He was about to say but ended up being cut off.
"No, you will be silent and listen, you meddlesome old goat!" Mrs. Weasley retorted, shocking everyone with the insulting words that she used against Dumbledore. "You know as well as I do, that the duties and responsibilities of a godparent in the Wizarding world are sacred and taken very seriously! If the godparent had any intentions of using their duties to bring harm to their godchild, then Magic would lash out and cause harm to the godparent."
Dumbledore began sweating at that moment, as he was concerned that Molly would begin to suspect something might be off about the treatment of Sirius Black in 1981 and recently, and sadly, he recognized the inquisitive look in her eyes, and Arthur's as well. In truth, Dumbledore did know that wizards and witches took their duties as godparents more heavily than their Muggle counterparts. If the godparent did try to bring harm to their godchild, then Magic would take it upon herself to punish the offender; not just by stripping the godparent of their magic, but also their life as well. He had taken every precaution to make Sirius look like the culprit at the time so that no one would argue that his duties as godfather would be valid. But now Molly Weasley, of all people, was starting to see through the cracks that she had opened up.
He knew he had to think of a way to get things back under control. Thankfully, he remembered an important detail about one member of the Weasley Family.
"What about your daughter, Ginny?" He asked, knowing that the young Weasley girl was his only chance now. "It's well known that she has a crush on young Harry; don't you want the two of them to be together? It would mean that Harry would finally be a true member of your family, and if Harry is betrothed to Daphne Greengrass, you lose your chance to better your family."
At that moment, Dumbledore regretted his choice of words, as both Arthur and Molly Weasley narrowed their eyes in anger at him. He could even feel the glare from the youngest Weasley boy in the back of his head, as well as the Granger girl. Then, another voice spoke up, coming from the stairs, a second feminine voice.
"I may have had a crush on Harry in the beginning, but not anymore."
Dumbledore and the others looked to see Ginny Weasley standing on the stairs, also glaring at Dumbledore. Dumbledore shivered at the power of the five flares that he was receiving, as he knew at that moment, that he had angered the people that he needed for his plans.
"I realized how foolish I was to constantly crush on Harry," Ginny continued, as she stalked down the stairs, her glare still on Dumbledore. "But I have accepted that Harry needs to make his own choices, and if he's betrothed to Daphne Greengrass, then I accept that there's no chance for him and me to be together. I'll be more than happy to be friends with Harry. Besides, I recently discovered that I like girls, after talking with Hermione last night."
Dumbledore's face paled extremely; he was counting on Ginny Weasley's crush for Harry to make his plans work, but now even that was gone. And her admission of being a witch's witch was another blow to his plan. He turned back to the adult Weasleys, hoping that he could rectify his mistakes until Molly walked up into his face, her glare still prominent.
"I think it's time for you to leave Albus," She said angrily, almost in a hissing tone that made Dumbledore think of a feral cat. "And know this: you will never, ever, be welcomed back into this house, again, and any alliance that existed between the Weasleys and you, are henceforth null and void. So mote it be."
Awestruck by what was happening, Dumbledore found himself behind magically forced out of the Burrow, and the grounds. Recovering from his stupor, Albus tried to get back into the Burrow, determined to make the Weasleys do what he wanted, even if he had to use the Imperious Curse on them, including "Granger". Unfortunately, just as he was about to step onto the grounds, he was violently thrown backward, as the wards around the Burrow refused to allow him access to the property. Dumbledore groggily rose to his feet and shook his head to clear it. He then looked back at the Burrow, and the usual twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by a raging flame, the anger he usually kept in check, now loose. His magic was rippling off of him in waves, as his carefully laid plans were coming apart, and he was finding it impossible to get it all back in hand.
In the end, he raised his head, and yelled at the heavens, releasing his pent-up frustration and excess magic.
"AAAGH!"
Meanwhile, back in The Burrow
Molly Weasley was still fuming at the audacity of Albus Dumbledore. The man that she, and the majority of her family, had respected and praised. She then turned to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who were equally fuming at the headmaster.
"All three of you," She began, doing her best to keep her temper in check. " Go upstairs, and get ready for dinner tonight."
The three teens knew that the tone in Molly's voice left no room to argue, and went up the stairs. Once the three were out of earshot, Molly turned back towards the door and started breathing angrily and heavily. Attempting to control her anger, she started pacing back and forth, as she thought of Albus' words.
'How dare he!' She thought you herself, as she paced in the living room. 'How dare that meddlesome old goat tries to recommend that Ginny try to date and marry Harry, especially after he informed us of the betrothal contract between him and Daphne Greengrass!'
It was a well-known fact in the Magic World, that if a witch tried to get a wizard who was already betrothed to another witch to date and marry her instead, then there would be terrible repercussions. At best, she would lose her magic and become a squib, but at worst she would be killed by Magic itself. Dumbledore wanted to risk Ginny's life and magic, just so that he could get Harry away from his betrothed? Not going to happen, at least not on Molly's watch!
"Molly?"
Molly stopped in her tracks, and looked at her husband, and remembered the thoughtful looks that she managed to catch, indicated that the two girls seemed to be content with the knowledge that Harry would be betrothed to someone who was part of a family that was friends with his own, but Ron was still fuming. Molly knew that Ron would undoubtedly have a hard time accepting that Harry was going to be with a Slytherin, but honestly, as long as Harry would be happy, that was all that mattered to Molly. As Molly looked at her husband, she saw the look of curiosity that was prevalent on his face.
"Do you think, just a little, that Albus might be right?" He asked her, concern seeping into his voice. "The Greengrass Family do tend to be a bit secretive sometimes."
Molly shook her head, annoyed at the seed of doubt that was planted into her husband's head by Dumbledore. For so many years she and Arthur had been loyal to Dumbledore, but in the past three years, her faith in the headmaster had been shaken. Where to begin?
First would undoubtedly be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's First Year at Hogwarts. The three of them had to stop You-Know-Who from getting his hands on the Philosopher's Stone and got through obstacles that a trio of eleven-year-olds were able to beat. On top of that, Harry practically had to face off You-Know-Who on his own, and ended up in the hospital wing! Surely Albus Dumbledore could've established better obstacles to stop You-Know-Who and keep Harry and the other students from being in danger. Furthermore, why would Dumbledore even allow the Stone to be in a school full of children, if You-Know-Who was still alive and seeking to use it, therefore putting the students at risk!
Then there was the trio's Second Year, where Ginny had been somehow been possessed by You-Know-Who, and Harry had to fight off a Basilisk! A BASILISK FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! How could Dumbledore not suspect that such a creature might've been responsible for the petrification of the students, and not allow the school to be shut down just long enough to find the chamber of Secrets?! But no, instead, the school was allowed to remain open, and Harry had to end up going into the Chamber, slay a Basilisk, rescue Ginny, and once again defeat You-Know-Who!
And now the trio's recent Third Year, that involved the whole debacle with Sirius Black, though admittedly Molly was starting to have her suspicions as to what was going on with that particular situation. Black had escaped from Azkaban, resulting in the Ministry ordering the prison guards, the Dementors, to be stationed, at a school full of children! If that wasn't bad enough, but the Dementors had essentially attacked Harry, twice, and yet the Minister didn't remove those foul creatures after the two incidents, and Dumbledore didn't bother to push for the removal of the creatures. The more Molly thought about it, surely the Aurors would've been suitable, and more preferable, to guard the school, rather than a bunch of soul-sucking creatures that induced depression onto those they were near. Then finally Black was captured, though Harry nearly lost his life for the third time, when the Dementors surrounded them, only for Black to escape again, somehow right from underneath the Minister's nose.
Molly often wondered how Black managed to escape, not only from Azkaban, but also from Hogwarts, and right from under the nose of Cornelius Fudge, who in full honesty was a bumbling idiot, and Albus Dumbledore. But now, with the knowledge that Black was Harry's godfather, Molly was starting to question the official story that the Wizarding world was given, that fateful night of Halloween, 1981. Looking back at Arthur, Molly drew an uneasy breath, as she went to answer his question.
"No Arthur, I don't think Albus was right," She said, a small smile on her face, as she looked into her husband's eyes. "But I do think that he was trying to turn us against the Greengrasses."
"But Why?" Arthur Weasley asked confusion and suspicion on his face. "Why would Albus try to turn us against the Greengrass Family, when we have no problems with them?"
Molly looked at her husband, her suspicions still rampaging through her mind.
"I think it's likely that Albus is trying to control Harry for some reason," Molly answered, her newfound disgust for the headmaster laced in her voice. "Arthur, how do you feel about the recent events at Hogwarts, these past three years?"
Arthur looked up at her, the look of contempt clear on his face. It was clear to Molly, that her husband was thinking the same as her, in regards to the past three years at Hogwarts, for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"I think something fishy is going on at Hogwarts," He answered her. "Everything that's happened at Hogwarts has all seemed to have something to do with Harry trying to overcome a test, or beat You-Know-Who in some fashion, and Albus is spearheading all of it. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why."
"I agree Arthur, but right now, our focus needs to be on Harry, and our children," Molly replied, determination to protect her children, all of her children, taking root within her heart.
