I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 19 – Voice of Experience
Set after Harry graduates and is doing his mastery, after Katie returns
Dedicated to Imaginer.012
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing."
McGonagall gave Harry her classic stern look. "And what do you think I am doing, Mister Potter?"
"You're trying to get me to teach."
"And? Many mastery students teach."
"And you're trying to get me used to the idea and perhaps even liking the idea and I'll do more teaching."
The corners of her mouth twitched. "You are acting rather paranoid, Mister Potter."
"And you only call me 'Mister Potter' when you are trying to deflect."
"Ah, how observant of you to notice, an excellent quality of an instructor."
Harry snorted. "You know, if you're tired of me playing for Portree I can see about being traded-oof!"
McGonagall put her wand away. "Perhaps I should speak to Katie. You seem to be suffering from an odd form of madness. Have you been struck in the head by a Bludger recently?"
Harry rubbed his arm. "No but I want to file a protest. My Mistress just assaulted me!"
"I will take the protest in the spirit that it was given, petulantly and falsely."
"No wonder you hadn't taken any apprentices in a while," Harry said sarcastically.
"Yes, deem yourself lucky, Mister Potter."
-0-
Harry smiled as he waved goodbye to the first years. They left chattering happily, some with his autograph on things. However, that was not why he was smiling. He was smiling at how happy the students were. After they got over their excitement at being taught by a professional Quidditch player, at least the ones that knew what Quidditch was, they were pretty attentive and eager to participate.
By the end of the class, the majority had been able to transfigure their matchsticks and he even started teaching them how to transfigure sheets of parchment into handkerchiefs. He was surprised how easy he found explaining the theory and had taken his time walking about and helping them.
"I see that smile," McGonagall said as she walked in. Her smile was much broader than she normally showed to students.
"It was fun," Harry admitted. "Pretty satisfying." He rolled his eyes at her smug expression. "Yeah, yeah. Go on then."
"As if I would ever gloat over being correct," she sniffed. "How did you find the students? I hope they behaved."
"They were pretty great," Harry said. "Let me guess, Willis and Franks are the pranksters of the class and Deltois is the Hermione?"
"In essence yes, but Deltois is a bit shyer than our mutual acquaintance."
Harry smiled fondly. "Hermione didn't have that problem in first year."
McGonagall shared the smile. "She was very confident, yes."
-0-
"Oof!" Harry grunted but grinned as he returned Mirabelle's enthusiastic hug. "Is this how you treat all your professors?"
"Not at all," she laughed, squeezing him around the middle. "Just you. At least I waited 'till after class was over."
"Hey, stop ignoring me," Lyla complained and pushed Mirabelle away, hugging Harry.
"You see him more than I do!" Mirabelle protested.
"It's not my fault he's dating my sister!"
"That's not what you told Katie last time," Harry remarked.
"I said I saved your two's relationship, but not my fault," Lyla corrected with pink cheeks.
Harry chuckled. "That's what you said. Glad to see you two doing well. How are things going?" He chatted with them for a while before he looked at them thoughtfully. "What do you two know about Tennley?"
"Not much to be honest," Mirabelle said. "She's quiet, in Hufflepuff as you saw. Why?"
"She looked a bit out of it. Is she normally like that?"
Lyla shrugged sheepishly. "Nothing more than I know of her but I don't really know her, you know?"
Harry nodded. "Probably just me. I can't expect everyone to be happy about classes and stuff."
-0-
"You look concerned," McGonagall said to Harry. "Worried about your performance? You should not be. Your students are glowing in their regards for you."
Harry smiled. "Wasn't worried about that but that's really nice to hear." He hesitated. "Do you know anything about Tiffany Tennley?"
"Hufflepuff, quiet and unassuming. Part of the sixth years. Has she been causing you trouble? I find that hard to believe."
"No trouble at all. I just noticed the last few classes she's gotten…quieter. Less there. Something seems to be bothering her."
"Hmm." McGonagall frowned. "I have not noticed anything but I feel like I should, considering I see her more often than you. I will see what I can discover if you would like."
"If you don't mind. No need to be intrusive or anything and it might just be me being meddlesome."
"Perhaps. Or if you have noticed something, it is worth investigating." She looked at him. "What gives you the idea that there is something going on?"
He shrugged. "Just a feeling."
-0-
"Miss Tennley, do you mind staying behind for a moment?"
Tiffany looked surprised. She nervously tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Uh, sure, Professor Potter."
Harry winced a little and stared at Mirabelle and Lyla. The girls snickered and ran out, their giggling turning into laughter as they went into the hall. "Did they tell you to call me that?"
She shook her head. "Oh, not really? I think we all call you that because they called you that."
He sighed. "It's something they called me back years ago. At the time it was an inside joke and now it's becoming something more."
She fidgeted a little. "Am I in trouble?"
"No, not at all. I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"With Transfiguration?"
"Partially that yes. Professor McGonagall has me grading essays of the upper classes and well, yours have fallen off the mark a little."
She looked away. "I can bring that back up."
"It's not just for Transfiguration. I checked with your other classes."
She glared at him. "You have no right doing that."
"You're right, I don't." He rubbed his neck awkwardly at her wide-eyed surprise. "I, uh, I'm probably overstepping here, but I've noticed the last few classes I've taught, you've been looking a little out of it. More and more every class."
Her face reddened from embarrassment and anger. "That's a little creepy."
"A little yeah." He flushed a little too. "I assure you, it's out of concern though."
"Why should I believe you? You don't even know me. Why would you be concerned?"
"Because you remind me of me, how I was at one point." He smiled at her snort of disbelief. "There was a time where I felt really alone, really isolated. It wasn't good and luckily I had friends that helped bring me out of it."
"And you think we're friends and you can help me? Just like that?" She laughed, the kind of laugh that was scornful and lacking in actual humor. "That's really arrogant of you and really rude. You are Harry Potter, we don't share anything in common and you don't know anything. And since you're not a real professor, I don't have to be here." She stormed out.
Harry sighed. "That could've gone better," he muttered.
-0-
"Professor?"
"Yes Miss Bell?"
"Not that we don't like you being our professor," the class chuckled and McGonagall very lightly huffed, "but where's Professor Potter? He hasn't taught us in a while."
"He has been detained as of late," McGonagall said. "His other duties have kept him from teaching and he cited some other problems of a personal nature. However, I will pass your concern along."
The class murmured amongst themselves and Tiffany looked a little bothered. When the class was dismissed, she gathered her things and courage, and followed Lyla and Mirabelle. "Excuse me," she said out loud.
The two girls turned and looked at her. "Yes?" Lyla asked.
Tiffany shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Lyla asked, head tilted in confusion.
"It…might be my fault that he's not here. He tried to talk to me after class last time he taught and I…was rude to him."
Mirabelle and Lyla looked at each other. "Are you sure you're the reason he hasn't been teaching?" Mirabelle asked. "Harry wouldn't do that just because of that."
"How would you know?"
"We were Housemates with him," Mirabelle said. "And we're friends."
"He's practically our older brother. More me than Mira 'cause he's dating my sister," Lyla said. She squealed when Mirabelle kicked her.
"Why were you rude to him by the way?" Mirabelle asked, eyes narrowing on Tiffany.
Tiffany coughed awkwardly. "He asked me if I was okay and I uh, took it poorly," she said lamely. "I said he was really arrogant because he said he knew how I felt."
"He was only trying to help and be nice," Lyla said severely, actively glaring at Tiffany.
"I get that," Tiffany said, looking away.
Mirabelle patted Lyla's arm. "Harry…Harry's really nice. He does know what it's like to feel certain things. He's been through a lot but he's really sweet and he means well. When I was a firstie, our first night in the castle, I went down to our common room and was crying. He talked to me when he could have ignored me. He gave me chocolate and listened to me. If he approaches you, he genuinely cares."
Tiffany felt wretched. "I called him a creep." She flinched at two very indignant looks. "C-Can you please apologize for me?"
"I'll send him a letter," Mirabelle said finally.
"Thank you," Tiffany said and walked away, head low.
-0-
Tiffany resisted the urge to beat her head against the desk. She thought she was trying a little harder, doing a little better, but apparently not. She had been asked to stay behind after Transfiguration and when McGonagall left, she assumed the professor would return with ample evidence for Tiffany's failures.
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting."
Her head popped up, watching Harry enter the classroom with surprise. Her eyes opened wider at his arm in a sling. "Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm okay. Just got pretty busted up in a game and it's taking a little longer to heal up. I could skelegrow it back but it makes me weaker for a while and my healer might be taking the opportunity to make me heal naturally as a lesson." Harry shook his head and smiled.
"Why?"
"She's rather upset at me. I broke my arm and shoulder catching the Snitch."
"Why is she upset about that?"
"Because she's my girlfriend," Harry said lightly. "And she has her mother and my god-aunt as well as a couple of pseudo-sisters firmly on her side." He smiled at Tiffany's smothered giggles. "It's okay to laugh, it is kinda funny. She also knows I can heal myself if I wanted so there's that. Besides, as soon as I need to get back to practice proper it'll be fine." He sighed as he sat on a desk. "I got your message from Mirabelle. You didn't have to apologize, I was being a little forward."
"They said that you genuinely cared," Tiffany said slowly. "I might not believe one of them considering she's your girlfriend's little sister, but they both said that. I'm not why you weren't teaching us, were you?"
"Not at all. We had a double game one weekend and I had extra practice. Then I got myself injured so been taking it easy. I'll be back soon." He looked at her carefully. "Professor McGonagall said you've been doing a little better."
"I thought so." Tiffany breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you why she's been paying more attention to me? And Professor Sprout?"
"Might be," Harry admitted.
"Why? Why do you care? You don't even know me."
Harry hummed for a moment. "That's true. I don't know you. That doesn't mean I haven't gone through what you have. Not to say it's the same situation, but sometimes the feeling is the same."
"My parents are getting divorced," Tiffany blurted out. Her face went bright red from embarrassment. "They're separating. I uh, I'm Muggleborn. When they found out I was a witch, they…they didn't take it well. I always thought we were a normal okay family, but as I got older, I started realizing how we…weren't. My father thinks my mother cheated on him because I'm a witch and he doesn't want to have anything to do with me."
She tried to stop the tears from falling and failed miserably. "She blames me for their marriage falling apart. Says if it wasn't for me, things would be better. It's been getting worse and…yeah."
Harry gave her a handkerchief, saying nothing.
She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "My friends that are Pure-bloods, they don't understand why they don't stay together and just see someone else or whatever, as if that's normal. The other Muggleborns sort of get it, some of them have parents that are divorced, same with the Halfbloods. They say it'll be okay and it's normal but I can't help…I…I can't help-"
"-to blame yourself," Harry finished softly. His smile was knowing and sad at her startled look. "My situation wasn't remotely like yours for the most part, but I do know what it's like blaming yourself for things. To be blamed for everything."
He leaned back a little. "I grew up in a bad situation. My biological aunt and uncle hated me. They were forced to raise me and well, they resented it. Everything that went wrong was my fault and every time they fought, they blamed me. They didn't all that much from what I remember, but remember being blamed for all sorts of things."
"But, you weren't the reason right?"
"No more that you're the reason your parents are splitting up," he replied kindly.
"But…what if it is because of me? What if it's my magic? What if subconsciously my magic is doing this?"
"Do you actually want them to be apart?" Harry asked.
She shook her head. "No. I wanted us to be a happy family." She sighed. "But the more I look back on things…"
"It wasn't what you thought," Harry said. "It took a long time for me to realize that my upbringing wasn't normal by any means. That I really didn't deserve what happened to me." He hesitated for a moment. "It's…tempting…to blame yourself for what others go through. That it's your fault that the people you care about are suffering. But, remember, that other people make decisions too. They choose to say things and do things. You can be as responsible as you think you are, but that doesn't mean the other person is completely free from blame and agency."
She shuddered. She knew what he was saying was true, deep inside herself she knew. It was a blatant truth that was even less pleasant to listen to compared to most truths. She wanted to ignore it, but she knew that if she did, it would not help her at all.
"What did you do?" she asked plaintively, desperate for an answer. "How did you cope?"
"I'm still working on it." His expression was weary. "I wish I could tell you that there's a literal magic fix, a charm or potion. But there really isn't, nothing wholesome. I can tell you though that it can get easier. It won't be easy, but the pain won't be as sharp. The ache won't be as deep. The effort won't be as exhausting. Some days it'll be worse, but most days it'll get easier."
His expression lightened. "The nice thing is that you can pick your family, the people you love that love you back. I'm the poster child for that."
"Really?" she asked.
"Really. You'll find those people that want you, that truly want and love you. It'll take some finding. I got really lucky and mine found me when I needed them. But I really believe that people can find their family that they deserve. If I could make it, then you definitely can."
They sat in companionable silence.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome."
"I'm sorry I said you were arrogant and rude."
"I guess I was a little arrogant."
"Sorry I said you were creepy," she said, face bright red.
He laughed. "Oh that's okay. You actually amused the hell out of my friends for a while. I asked Katie, Lyla's sister, if I was creepy. She then spent days trying to imagine how I could be creepy and dragged our friends into it. They got really outlandish and everyone thought that it would be really funny for me to be creepy."
She giggled. "You're welcome? I guess?"
Harry stayed and chatted with her some more, helping her with her Transfiguration work even. After a while he looked at his watch. "I better get going. But I'm glad we had this talk, and to hear you're doing a little better. Let me know if you want to talk some more, about Transfiguration or whatever."
"I really appreciate it," she said sincerely.
"You'll get through this, and you'll have the rest of your life to live." Harry smiled kindly. "It's never too late to make friends. I made new ones during my last year and I still talk to them. It's harder, but doable." He started to leave and stopped. "Lyla likes peanut butter chocolate."
"I don't think she'll like me after what I said about you," Tiffany said softly.
"Give her a shot. She's pretty understanding too. It runs in the family."
-0-
Harry stepped through the Floo into the flat, siphoning the soot away and hanging his cloak up. He heard Katie swearing softly from the kitchen and walked up to her, wrapping his unhurt arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. "Hi."
"Hi," she replied distractedly, poking at something in the pan. "How do you do this?! How do you not have fish that doesn't look like it's already been chewed up?"
"Pan has to be hot enough with enough oil. Plus use the thin spatula to flip it, not the wooden one."
Katie sighed. "Feel like getting take-away?"
Harry chuckled. "We can salvage it. Keep poking it about and let it flake into pieces. We'll top some noodles with it and mix in some veg. That'll be good."
"That does sound good," Katie admitted. "How was Hogwarts?"
"It was good. Had a talk with the girl that Mirabelle mentioned. She's been going through some stuff and I offered a bit of advice."
"Oh the one that thought you were creepy? That was good of you."
He smiled. "She apologized."
"That's good. Will she be okay?"
"I think so. Her situation sucks but I think she'll be alright."
After they finished their salvaged dinner, he kissed her softly on the lips.
"What was that for?" Katie asked with sparkling eyes. "Can't be for kissing the chef since you saved it."
"Just saying thank you," Harry smiled. "For saving me. Being there for me."
She kissed him again. "Always and forever," she whispered.
-0-0-0-
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Thank you. I just finished the dumbest chapter I've ever written but it amuses me greatly. Should go up next week. It truly has an absurd premise and it's more enjoyable than it should be.
diffident-serpiente - Calling their kids bunnies was probably my second favorite part of the chapter. It was such a small detail but it felt so right to me and it was so nice. I liked how the game came about too. I felt it would fit them really well. Glad you enjoyed the mush.
Ironhidensh - Not a very common pairing at all and I really enjoyed writing their AU.
LifeIsAGreatAdventure - Thank you.
Urgwaew - It must have been a great surprise for all of them to see that gentle side of Angelina, and it was fun to explore it. I thought that was a fun twist, with her catching him like that, especially so dramatically. I wanted to bring it around like she did in the game in third year. I'm glad you liked this AU. I have at least two more coming in mind and am about to start the next one. Hope it is enjoyable if slightly more common of a pairing. All the best to you.
alix33 - That's good.
guest - Thank you, it came out rather well and I liked writing it.
Imaginer.012 - I think I'll never think of the original seven as THE team. No other team will ever come close to replacing it, at least in this fic and setting. Thank you.
Thespianpoet - That's why he got a full dozen scoldings. I thought the rabbit ring would be almost disgustingly cute and am glad others like it. I don't think I'll develop the Portree team like I did with others but it was fun to play with them more and show them in a fun way. Glad you liked the ship by the end. That's really high praise. Thank you.
