Thank you all for the lovely comments, it was very entertaining to read everyone's conspiracy theories on who killed the Dursleys
As a note for this chapter: this is one of the points where I am unfortunately forced to switch from adhering to a regular calendar from 1996 to Rowling's calendar, which doesn't match up in the slightest. However, a certain date needs to fall on a hogsmeade weekend. I'll try to get back to a regular calendar once there's a time jump or something, but until then we all got to deal with the mess that is the canon timeline. I hope that the missing/additional days won't give too much trouble, I should have sorted out a work-around so it won't be too noticeable that January/February aren't a regular month-length.
Enjoy!
Chapter 67 – Murder Mystery
Days at Hogwarts somehow seemed to get progressively worse. This Thursday had crept by slowly. The whole day, he had not been able to look forward to the approaching weekend as the last classes were Defence Against the Dark Arts with Umbridge. Thankfully, the week of detentions had been over yesterday, and the hand that Voldemort had crafted for him was slowly healing. It helped that Madam Pomfrey was now aware of what it was, and applied healing techniques normally reserved for centaurs. It had done wonders. After only a day, the previously ghastly wound had become but a throbbing red mark again.
In addition to his hatred being constantly fuelled by Umbridge's presence, the teen also simply could not concentrate due to anxiety about the prospect of sneaking out to meet up with Voldemort in person again soon. He'd admittedly lashed out a bit too harshly last night, not able to properly cope with suddenly being dropped in the place he'd almost died in.
Right after a full day of stressful classes, another worrisome thing had been added to the list as Harry got an ominous note with the evening post, Sirius asking to talk as soon as possible about an 'emergency', which Harry could only do very late evening as he'd been swamped in tomorrow's homework, which Hermione wouldn't stop talking about until he'd finished it, and another fast D.A. training session to keep everyone in shape. As soon as he'd called his godfather's name, Sirius had shown up, indicating that he'd been waiting for a while already. And then...
''Your family is dead.''
Harry stared at the mirror. The sensitive skin on the back of his hand ached as his grip tightened on the handle. Although Sirius' words somehow filtered through, it was as if he couldn't grasp their true meaning.
''What?'' he asked, incredulous. ''What do you mean?'' he asked, as if a repetition could make him comprehend what had been said.
Sirius' gaze was steely. ''Did you ask him to kill them?''
Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, producing no sound
Still in slight disbelief, Harry managed to shake his head. ''It wasn't me... I didn't… I don't know what to say,'' he stammered. The Dursleys had been downright horrible and Harry had often wished they'd just drop dead, but they'd still been a part of his life. Hearing that they were gone felt so unreal that he couldn't focus on the fact, needing more information instead. ''What happened?'' he asked, seeing that Sirius relaxed minimally at his confusion.
The man took a deep breath. ''I got a letter this morning, from Gringotts.'' A nasty feeling coiled in Harry's stomach. ''It held the information that your Muggle guardian passed away and that all legal matters regarding your bank account went to your magical guardian… me.''
''Ah,'' was Harry's only reaction. Now, his brain was battling with the shock over Petunia's death and the fact that Sirius was now fully aware of his position.
''You knew, then. That I was your magical guardian,'' Sirius spoke with slight disappointment. ''Why didn't you tell me? I was so worried about Dumbledore using his power over you. You led me to believe that it was him!''
Somehow, Harry didn't think that they should really be focusing on that right now, but still tried to defend his reasoning: ''I thought he was when we last spoke about that topic. You recommended that I go to Gringotts to check, which I did. I just… didn't tell you the results of that visit,'' he tensely spoke. ''This was in July, I didn't truly know what side you'd be on then or if you'd stick with me when you would eventually find out about everything I'd done, about Voldemort… And once you finally did, you were still very reluctant about my connections to him.''
Sirius briefly closed his eyes, looking ten years older. ''You thought I'd misuse my power over you?''
''I tried not to think about that at all, which was easier if you didn't know about it in the first place.''
''And your favourite Dark Lord told you to keep your mouth shut about it as well,'' Sirius snapped, glaring a hole in the glass now.
Harry looked away. ''Basically,'' he admitted. ''Can we get back to the Dursleys? How did Petunia… And was it just her or also…'' he stammered, unable to form full sentences, as if saying the words out loud was physically impossible.
''All three were found dead last night. It looked like a Muggle break-in and murder at first, but as they had ties to a magical child, there was a routine check of the crime scene by the Ministry this morning. They found very recent magical traces. All Muggle authorities were pulled from it right away, memory charms were dished out and the corpses were reclaimed. As they are your family, there was no way it'd stay secret for long, of course. I heard that the press got wind of it barely half an hour after the Ministry check, which got the ball rolling. Nothing has been printed yet of course, it's too soon for that, but the goblins have ears everywhere. Due to their efficiency, they made the change to your accounts and informed me right away.
After I received that letter, I told the news to some Order members who were in the house, to see if I could get information faster. Dumbledore was contacted around noon and spoke with the Ministry, which is why I have at least basic information about the investigation. I suppose he did not yet want to bother you with this news until things are clearer. Harry… are you okay? I still wanted to talk to you about last week's article too once the other order members would finally leave me alone with 'Great advice' on what to say to you. I suppose I should not have waited after all, I realise that the death of the family you spoke about isn't the best moment but…''
''It's fine,'' Harry reassured his godfather, giving a wry smile. ''I already wondered if you'd lecture me on it.''
''Lecture you? Quite the opposite, I commend you. Coming out with your story was a brave move. Helping Muggleborns and other Muggle-raised children through that is also something I fully support. It did leave me somewhat confused, admittedly. I can't really see how this fits in with your support of Voldemort's antagonization of Muggles. The whole interview centred around helping Muggleborns and giving Muggles better ways to cope with taking care of magical children.''
Harry smiled. ''It fits in better with his ideals than you maybe realise. Also, regardless of his views, I'm still my own person and I happen to care about this issue. If I can do something to improve lives by speaking of my experiences, I'm happy to. I'm fine… or at least I was fine until right now. I didn't want to Dursleys to get killed for it.'' Harry was silent for a moment, brooding over his own words, as they didn't feel right. He recalled talking with Sirius about feeling like wanting to murder the Dursleys himself and never looking back. ''Not like this at least, when it's not on my terms,'' he decided.
Instead of disgust, he was met with an understanding look. Apparently, Sirius remembered the exact same conversation. ''The big question now is who did it. Do you think that Voldemort was the culprit after seeing your story in the newspaper? As an attempt to get you even more on his side?'' Sirius speculated. Harry was puzzled for a moment until realising that he hadn't spoken about Voldemort's day job, which he still shouldn't do either.
''Voldemort already knew about how they treated me,'' Harry said. ''He also knows that I didn't want to see them dead yet. It wouldn't make sense. Unless…''
''Unless what?''
Harry didn't answer, getting a sinking feeling. Voldemort had made Harry's home life public only a week ago. Was killing the Dursleys the next chapter of this story? Did the man want to use it as another publicity stunt to gather attention for the topic? The Hand of Magic's judgement being swift where the Ministry was lax? No, surely he'd at least inform Harry… right?
''No, never mind,'' he finally firmly spoke, throwing away his doubts. Even if he couldn't be certain about the Dark Lord honouring Harry's wishes, it wouldn't fit. According to Sirius, the murder had taken place last night. The teen had spoken to Voldemort after that, in their dream. If the Dursleys had found their death by his hand, Voldemort would not have kept silent about that one way or another. And if killing the Dursleys had been his intent, Voldemort would have wanted to do so personally instead of delegating the execution. He could not be the culprit. Nevertheless, this was news that he instantly wanted to contact the man about, if only to hear what information he already had about it. Thus, he announced: ''I need to go now, have another call to make. Sorry.''
''Just another minute, Harry…'' Sirius pleaded, and the teen really couldn't say no to that tone, distorted as it was through the connection. ''I know that with everything going on in your life already, you surely could have done without this additional drama, but it's important to speak of a few issues still. With me being your only guardian now, we have to figure out what to do. It'll be strange if I don't inform Dumbledore about this, for one. Also, I'm in a tight spot because while technically your legal guardian, I'm a wanted man. The Ministry of Magic will try to give another custody of you until you're seventeen. This is going to be incredibly complicated and possibly messy.''
Harry hadn't thought about that at all yet. Whether Sirius wanted to or not, his upbringing was showing by thinking several steps ahead in the political ballet. ''Maybe this is why Dumbledore hasn't told me yet,'' Harry suggested. ''He should know that you're still my guardian and may be making plans about my custody as we speak to get ahead. Honestly, I am not sure what the options are. It's not possible to clear your name. If it was, we'd have done that ages ago. So, you assuming custody of me isn't going to happen regardless of our wishes or technicalities. That leaves the question about who gets to decide about it.''
''You'll be appointed to an employee from the Magical Minor Welfare Office, who will handle - under restrictions - some of your legal matters. They can't make many decisions for you, but would for example co-sign contracts until a suitable guardian has been found. It's more of a formality than anything else, really. Last time I had anything to do with that department, there was a grand total of two overworked employees.''
''When was that?''
Sirius pulled a face. ''Summer 1976, when I ran away from home and my parents officially disowned me. As it was only a couple of months before I'd turn seventeen and the Potters already agreed to keep me over the last summer when I was a minor, they didn't try to search a new guardian for me. I quickly agreed to that, found it to be a bit senseless to be placed with another family when I already had people willing to take me in for those two months, after which I'd go to Hogwarts until I'd turn seventeen anyways.
''That's not so different from my own situation,'' Harry protested. ''If I say that I'll spend summer with the Weasleys or so… I also turn seventeen soon and am at Hogwarts for most of that time!''
''You only turn seventeen in one and a half years, kiddo. That's not soon enough. I get that you want to simply live as you have now, spending your summers wherever and the rest at Hogwarts, but you can't forget that you are a celebrity. A celebrity whose family, whom everyone now knows mistreated you horribly, just got murdered. That's a bit different than the black sheep of a family running away to a friends' place. The summer holidays had already started when I was placed in Ministry custody. For you, they have months to figure out what to do. Also, after that whole story came out, people will be lining up to take you in, I'm sure. It'll less be a matter of searching for someone willing to be your guardian and more sorting through the chaff to pick the best one.''
Harry groaned, not knowing what to make of all this. ''What do I do?''
''Find someone who has a better claim than others and whom you trust to not go against your wishes in important decisions,'' Sirius recommended in all seriousness. ''Preferably someone who is good with money too, you don't want to get the nasty surprise of having been robbed blind.''
''Right. I… I'm sorry, but I really want to contact Voldemort right now about all of this,'' Harry confessed tiredly. ''First of all to ask if he knows anything more about the Dursley situation and to see if he has a solution to this guardianship problem.''
''I don't really share your optimism that it wasn't him, so be careful in how you word your questions,'' Sirius said. ''I'd love to hear about you ripping into the big bad Dark Lord, but don't forget that he's incredibly dangerous. If he did kill the Dursleys after all, there's a whole slew of possible reasons behind that action. You might offend him if it turns out that he did this as a… you know…'' Sirius fidgeted nervously.
Harry had no idea what his godfather was getting at. Although he was certain by now that it simply could not have been the Dark Lord's doing, he was interested enough at what had thrown Sirius off to wait for the man to finish his sentence. It didn't appear to work, so he cautiously asked: ''That he did this as a what?''
Sirius looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. ''As a courting present,'' the other at long last ground out. Harry released a startled laugh, which quickly disappeared when Sirius said: ''It's not uncommon in dark families to give blood sacrifices as courting gifts, to symbolise dark magic or whatever. Sacrificing those who hurt you would make for a powerful gesture.''
''Oh man,'' Harry simply answered. ''Thanks for the warning, but can you please never speak of me and Voldemort and courting in the same sentence ever again? Speaking with my friends about my feelings is already bad enough and they don't even know who I like. This is somehow… much, much worse. Please?'' he begged. He really was not up for another discussion about his insane crush on the Dark Lord with his godfather. ''We said all that needed to be said after New Year's, can we leave it at that?''
''I'd love to,'' Sirius sighed in relief. ''Take care of yourself kiddo. Don't let anything get you down.''
The mirror got hazy, then blanked over, so Harry only saw his own reflection staring back. Despite his confidence in Voldemort's innocence regarding this murder case, Harry still felt nervous when switching it out for the other two-way-mirror to make his next call. Not a second after calling out, he got an answer, but it wasn't Barty as expected. Instead, the ghostly white face of Voldemort himself appeared. The shining surface gave his skin an even more otherworldly look than usual.
''I have expected your call,'' he stated. ''To answer the question that is undoubtedly on your mind, I did not kill them.''
Harry blinked rapidly and raised an eyebrow. ''I know you didn't,'' he responded, which appeared to bewilder the other. ''You would have said something yesterday evening if you had.'' Mentally, headed: 'cause you usually like to brag'.
Red eyes narrowed. ''To be entirely clear about this, I had planned on killing them eventually. Someone else simply got there first, to my fury.''
That was not really information that cheered Harry up right now. ''I told you I didn't want you to kill them.''
''Yet,'' Voldemort spoke, lips curling into a cruel smile. ''You did not want to see them dead yet. I've sorted through your mind enough times to know your true desires, Evan. And when the time would have been optimal, those poor excuses of Muggles would have perished by my wand.''
Not liking to admit that the other had read his mind a bit too accurately, Harry asked: ''What made you think that I'd want you to kill them instead of doing it myself?'' After all those years of torment, it would feel very cowardly to not face them by himself. If he would have, that was. Harry still wasn't entirely sure if he could have gone through with hunting down his family for revenge.
Languidly, the Dark Lord leaned closer, until Harry could swear that the man's forehead rested against the glass. ''I didn't particularly care,'' he admitted, causing Harry to frown in displeasure, an exasperated retort at the tip of his tongue. The other continued speaking before he could fire it off. ''I had plans for them. There are certain rituals that could have made even their deaths meaningful. I could have used their lives if you'd have accepted it as… a gift.''
All of Harry's rising anger screeched to a halt and plummeted into nothingness as he put two and two together. A gift? Sirius had been right in his ludicrous assumption of that Voldemort wanted to dump a corpse at Harry's feet as a courting present? That was both disturbing and charming at the same time, in the absolute worst way possible. The image of a white cat with red eyes dropping a fat mouse at Harry's feet swam in his mind's eye. ''I'd prefer flowers,'' he blurted out, as he couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Voldemort frowned and leaned back again.
''What kind?'' the man inquired in all seriousness.
The teen stared at the other for a couple of seconds, wondering if Voldemort had really just asked that. ''I don't care what kind! As long as they aren't dead or family of mine!'' he spoke in agitation. ''Can we get back to the murder case? Who did it? Why? Why did you expect me to call about it when there's not been any official news about it? You know papers don't reach Hogwarts.'' Besides, Sirius had just mentioned that no newspaper had been printed about it yet.
''Papers are not the only source of news. Much to my dismay, there is competition. About an hour ago, one of the involved Ministry workers - from the involved obliviator squad, I believe - made a press statement over the radio. Were you not informed about this?''
Harry tiredly shook his head. ''I was busy all day. When dinner was finally done, I did homework and then had another training session with my defence group. The others left not long ago. I keep this mirror in a safe spot away from the common room or the boy's dorms where others could find it by accident, and went straight to the hiding spot after.'' Technically, he hadn't even needed to leave the room for it, only wait for the rest to clear out with the excuse that he wanted to train a bit on his own still. Great, so if the news had circulated, his friends were probably waiting now, anxious about why he wasn't returning from the Room of Requirement even though they had news to break to him. In the worst case, they might come back and find him speaking to the Dark Lord of all people. ''This means I can't stay long, we have about ten minutes until I need to sprint back to the common room to not get caught.''
''We can talk longer soon, either in a dream or next week Saturday,'' Voldemort reassured Harry. Then, the tone turned to business. ''To give you a quick briefing: it appears that your family became the victim of your fans. The article about your home life caused ripples of anger throughout the country. Evidently, some vigilantes decided to follow the example of my Hand of Magic and broke into your families' home. They were no experienced killers if Aurors on a routine swipe found magical residue, possibly enough to trace it back. There's been talk of doing another, full check at the house with an expert who can uncover the recent spells used and magical signatures. By the time they truly get a team together for that, it may be too late however. Bureaucracy is time-consuming. With the speed at which magic fades, I doubt that it'll bring clear results. As the place is under Ministry scrutiny, I also cannot go there myself. Press is not welcome at the crime scene. Therefore, the exact culprit remains a mystery for now.''
''Thank you for that information,'' Harry spoke with sincerity. ''That was more than Sirius could tell me about it. And far more than Dumbledore did, as he told me exactly zero. Nada.''
The jab at Dumbledore was ignored for once. ''Black contacted you with information?'' Voldemort asked sharply. ''When?''
''We talked shortly before I called you, but he already knew this morning. Gringotts wrote him about bank matters right after they found out that my Aunt died. I suppose that they have spells in place to register when someone connected to their clients dies?''
The Dark Lord seemed confused, but only for a brief moment. Then, his face morphed into a stormy expression. ''I hadn't realised the full consequences of this before,'' Voldemort muttered. ''As much as I wanted to see your family dead, it does have many unpleasant effects. Your guardianship is contested now, and the faith that Dumbledore put in his theory of protective barriers against me is gone. Black is aware now that he is your legal guardian, then?''
Voldemort's quick brain jumping to the right conclusions was something Harry allowed himself to admire for a few seconds before answering: ''Yes, although he instantly agreed with me on that that doesn't mean anything anymore in this situation. He's a convict on the run, the Ministry won't recognise his claim on me. He advised me to actively search for a suitable new guardian myself, before the Ministry does. Or Dumbledore. How long do you estimate this to take?''
''Usually, about a month with all of the paperwork. Yet you are in a precarious position. After reading your story only recently, half of the wizarding world will wish to take you in, if only for the status. Whether that will slow the process down or speed it up depends on how fast the Ministry wants to get their hands off you, and who works on your case. It won't matter too much while you're at Hogwarts, but latest by the Easter holidays, you'll have a new guardian.''
''Who will then also be able to decide where I stay during those holidays if I don't insist on remaining at school,'' Harry concluded, a sour taste in his mouth. ''I understand why Sirius insisted on my active participation in looking for someone fitting. The point is though, that I can't do much from here. Even letters I would sent out might be blocked by Umbridge for all I know. Plus, I can't simply pick anyone, there's still the fact that I would need to convince the Ministry that my choice is better than anyone else.''
''It would be best if you'd make them believe that you haven't been involved at all,'' Voldemort answered. ''With your current animosity towards the Ministry, they might not choose someone you strongly approve of openly. You also have to consider the same factors they do. 'Optimal' choices for them are people who already have experience with raising children, who have a partner to reduce workload, and who are financially stable. Added to that comes of course who they're connected with.''
''I really could have done without this,'' Harry faintly spoke, rubbing his forehead, throwing Voldemort a desperate look. He realised how vulnerable he was right now, stressed to the core. ''I wish it was next week Saturday already,'' the teen admitted. Maybe being close to the Dark Lord wouldn't make everything in his life perfect again, but at least the man could make him forget his worries for a moment with overwhelming rushes of magic. ''Do you think I have that much time to think it over before discussing my options with you?''
''I do. They won't be able to get through the entire selection and guardianship process in a week. I cannot predict how far they'll get though, or if Dumbledore will interfere during it. You should watch the old man, he'll surely pounce on this opportunity to get you more tightly under his wing. Also, I hope you ordered your godfather to stay quiet as long as possible about any sensitive information?''
Harry tried his best not to send a death-glare at Voldemort. ''I told you before and I'll say it again: I will not order Sirius around or experiment with the control I have over him. I am very careful about my wording to ensure that I formulate any requests as questions.''
The metallic hiss that came from the mirror told him everything Harry needed to know about the Dark Lord's opinion on that approach. Not up for any tiring discussions, Harry said a quick goodbye and de-activated the mirror. For a minute, the teen allowed himself to sit back and stare into nothingness in an attempt to process everything. Maybe the information was still too fresh, for he felt absolutely nothing but fogginess. Opening his bag, he withdrew the invisibility cloak, which shimmered white and silver in his hands before he donned it. Harry could do without being flooded by worried people who'd either heard the news personally or rumours about it. Still, he returned with a heavy heart to the common room.
As expected, it was still full, and his own name echoed from various corners. As silent as possible, Harry crept up the stairs to the boy's dorms. His gaze flickered almost automatically to the window in front of which the ghostly strand usually danced, only to discover it wasn't there. Feeling immensely happy about at least something good happening, Harry took off the cloak to head straight to the shower, only to freeze when mid-air, the sliver appeared as if it hadn't been gone at all.
Before Harry could ponder on what had happened, the sound of loud footsteps on the stairs caught his attention.
''Knew it was you when the portrait hole simply opened!'' Ron spoke two seconds after barging in, closely followed by Hermione. ''Harry, you won't believe what happened! It was on the radio!''
Harry halted their concerned speeches before they could properly start and laid down the details he'd learned of - listing Sirius as his only source.
He ended with: ''So I can't pretend that I'm sad about their passing, but it did open a whole can of worms that I wasn't prepared for at all. Most adults whom I like don't fit the Ministry's standards of an ideal family to take over custody.''
''That's tough,'' Ron whistled. His face lit up for a moment, then fell again, lips turned downwards. ''I'm sure mum and dad wouldn't hesitate at all to take you in, but they'd surely not pass the financial tests required.'' The admittance clearly hurt.
''And mine are Muggles,'' Hermione sighed. ''Even if Muggles are considered generally in these processes, which I doubt, they certainly won't be for your specific case after your interview and history with your family.''
Reluctantly, Harry had to agree with them both. ''I'm pretty stumped at what to do at the moment,'' he confessed. ''Somehow, I wish that Sirius would miraculously get cleared and I can spend the rest of my holidays at his place… we all know that's not going to happen though, is it? Regarding any other adult I was ever slightly close to… Lupin's a werewolf and any of our teachers would be weird due to school. Not to mention that all of them are single and don't have experience raising their own kids as far as I'm aware.''
''Throw it in the group, maybe?'' Hermione suggested. ''We're not your only friends, Harry. The entire D.A. has your back. Maybe Cedric would know what to do, or even one of the Slytherins who has some better connections.'' She pulled a face at the last sentence, asking Slytherins was probably not something she'd have considered some time ago.
Harry shrugged, not as enthusiastic about that idea as they maybe expected, not wanting to lay this burden on others. ''I'll see about it.''
Ron and Hermione shared a knowing look, which he did his best to ignore. They left him alone when he ended the conversation by expressing his wish of wanting to finally take a long shower and sleep early.
Honestly, he just wanted to be alone for a moment. Before having been able to properly process the news, he'd already heard the input of Sirius, Voldemort, Ron and Hermione… he was thankful for their information and support, but it didn't make him understand his own emotions, or lack thereof. The brief moment of silence in the Room of Requirement had done nothing, which was slightly worrisome. Having the space to think without having to speak about it might help now that a bit more time had passed.
He had not lied to either Sirius or Voldemort… he hadn't wanted the Dursleys to die yet, didn't know if he'd ever have really gone through with actively getting revenge on them. Most likely, Harry would have shut them out completely once turning seventeen, he mused while undressing and stepping into the shower. He stood there for a while, letting cold water hit his face in an attempt to wake up from this bloody stupor.
Yes, he wouldn't have searched them out anymore, content to never see their faces again. But now it had happened, now that they were dead…
Harry took a deep, gasping breath, which turned into a coughing fit as he stupidly breathed in water. He turned the handles quickly and slid down the cold wall to sit at the floor, trying to control his breathing. The Dursleys were really dead. All three of his tormenters, gone. As if a veil had lifted, the implications of that finally unravelled one by one.
Never again would he have to walk into that hated house again with its perfect garden and perfect porch and perfect carpet that no spot of mud was ever allowed to touch. Never again would he pass through the corridor, with its perfect pictures -without Harry- and perfect mirrors -which he'd avoid looking at- and perfect cupboard - where he'd spent so many scared nights hoping for the nightmare to be over.
Harry curled up into himself, fingers desperately grasping at his hair as he tried to hold back the laugh that threatened to bubble up and slip past his lips. The thoughts wouldn't stop coming now, bursting forth from all dark corners of his mind.
No more swinging frying pans or fists, no more running from Dudley's gang. To never hear his uncle calling him a freak again or be chased in a dark street by his cousin. No more snide comments or ridiculing sneers from the people who had been supposed to love him.
All of that was in the past now. That realisation hit like lightning and brought forth a maniacal grin and tears of relief. The people who'd tormented Harry with their hatred and fear, were dead, and he couldn't muster up even a sliver of grief. Wobbly, he managed to get to his feet again and slammed the handle of the shower once more just in time, hoping that the falling water drowned out his uncontrollable laughter.
He was free. Whatever would happen after, whoever would get custody of him, it would never get worse than it had been.
It took a long time to calm down, longer than it should have. Once he'd pulled himself together, Harry stepped out of the shower and took a few gasping breaths, guilt nagged at his insides. Should he not feel anything for them? Despite everything, the Dursleys had still given him a place to stay, food, clothing. He'd been better off than some Muggle-borns who'd been found in much worse conditions. They'd never shown him care or love, but there'd been a base line of humanity that even the Dursleys hadn't dared to cross. They could have hidden Harry away in that cupboard forever. Instead, they'd even sent him to school.
Then again, he did not know their motivations for that. Perhaps they'd known Harry would one day be sought out by other wizards and witches, that he'd go to Hogwarts. Petunia had only been scared by the letter, not surprised.
Instead of grabbing a towel to wrap around himself, Harry went to the bathroom mirror, which was just large enough to see his entire body. Carefully, he turned around and looked at his back. It wasn't exactly a mess of scars, and a few injuries must have been from Quidditch games or accidents, but there were a couple from his uncle and cousin. Petunia's attacks hadn't left visible scars, mostly bumps on the head or emotional wounds. He traced a white line at his side from where he'd been pushed into barbed wire by Dudley.
Having enough, he quickly turned away and dried himself with a spell instead to change into pyjamas quicker. It was time to move forwards, Harry decided. Instead of dwelling on the fact that they were dead, he should focus on what to do now. As he didn't know how to even start searching for guardians to propose, he concentrated instead on how to act in the coming days. After reading what the Dursleys had done, surely no-one would expect him to be heart-broken about the news, but cold indifference or revealing that it made him even happy would not be smart either. Showing that he was just as confused as everyone else as to who'd been the culprit might be the best way to go at it. Otherwise, new rumours might start flying around about him ordering this murder or something equally ludicrous.
The mystery surrounding these deaths really did make him wonder. If it hadn't been Voldemort nor the Hand of Magic but instead his 'fans' as the Dark Lord thought, that did make Harry re-evaluate his stance on that usually faceless group. He'd always thought that most people who liked him because he was the Boy-Who-Lived were moderate light mages who were relieved that the times of darkness were over. While that could fit the profile of someone who'd enact vengeance on those who'd hurt Harry, it didn't make much sense when he considered that his cousin had also been killed. Murdering a minor in cold blood for bullying behaviour wasn't something he'd expected. Not that Harry wasn't grateful, Dudley had done just as much damage as his parents and had never shown a single shred of sympathy for his cousin. In the eyes of many though, this would probably be unacceptable justice. It was surprising that some of his 'fans' could be so vicious without having personal ties to Harry.
On the other hand, he'd gotten cursed post from those same fans on several occasions he'd fallen into disgrace, so who knew how far anyone would really go. As frustrating as it was, Harry would have to wait for the investigation to be over. It helped that he could probably ask Kingsley and Tonks about it through his godfather. Harry was immensely grateful for Sirius' Christmas present, especially now that he might be faced with not being allowed back at his godfather's house. Life would get very complicated if he'd be shoved off to a family who didn't have ties to either the Death Eaters or the Order. This outcome was too likely to Harry's tastes. Maybe he'd really have to follow Hermione's advice and involve other people, as much as he hated the idea of that. He probably wouldn't until at least having spoken to Voldemort in person. Only one more week…
Like the entirety of second term, said week also crept by in the span of an eternity. During a very awkward hour, Harry was called to Dumbledore's office and finally told about the Dursleys' fate, with even less information revealed than Harry had already gathered before from his own sources. The Headmaster then tried to continue showing Harry memories about Voldemort, but the teen flat-out refused, being truthful about needing time for other things without having to think about a possible upcoming war. It may have been too rude, but the Gryffindor really could not deal with trying to indulge Dumbledore's illusions about a Horcrux hunt that was doomed to fail before even having started.
He threw himself into catching up once again to ever-increasing homework piles, attended remedial potions with Snape and held another D.A. session, during which he refused to answer further questions. The seventh-year members had carefully inquired about an interest in possible rebellions from their house-mates, but hadn't made any final decisions yet about who was safe to actually bring to a meeting.
On Thursday, Ron and he finally found time for another attempt at training his Animagus form. A new pair of ears and a deformed face was the result in addition to his wings, whereas Ron got more and more covered in fur. It wasn't the great step forward that either had been hoping for, but if they kept this up, then maybe they would both be able to manage the full transformation this term still. There were only a couple of sips left of the potion for each, and two months until Easter holidays.
During the entire week, Umbridge was relentless in enforcing her new rules, showing up left and right when someone even dared to breathe a whisper about the newspaper or any covered topics. She also doubled down on teachers, giving Trelawney and Hagrid an especially hard time, loudly interrupting classes to make snide comments. Several more students got punished for talking back at her and appeared with bandaged hands, a sight that made Harry's blood boil. He was careful about not to catching the toad's attention, he couldn't let her ruin his escape from the castle on the weekend.
It appeared though, that he wasn't the only one who couldn't attend this particular trip.
''Angelina reserved the field for an entire day of training,'' Ron complained, crestfallen. ''If it wasn't bad enough that I'm rubbish on the field, now I can't even cheer up with relaxing at the Three broomsticks with some Butterbeer… I wonder what Hermione will do all on her own.''
''You're not rubbish,'' Harry spoke in encouragement. ''You just need more training and a bit of confidence. Don't let Parkinson get to you. You've only had one actual game!''
''During your first Quidditch game, you caught the snitch with your mouth, and you were only eleven,'' the other grumbled.
Seeing that Ron was in one of Those moods where nothing anyone said could brighten him up, Harry gave up, shaking his head and finishing the first book on healing that Madam Pomfrey had given him. It wasn't your usual textbook, instead a guide with handy tips and tricks to improve healing spells. He'd already tried out a couple of things and found that the spells he already knew came a lot easier to him.
''Do you think that you could maybe be there and watch the training or so? Could use some support,'' Ron hinted.
Harry hesitated. ''Notwithstanding that Angelina isn't allowing me on the field after I quit, I actually won't be in the castle. I'm not going to let Umbridge's stupid ban stop me from leaving.''
Ron's frown deepened and his ears reddened slightly. ''So you're going to Hogsmeade with Hermione then? Cosily drinking together while I'm making a fool of myself on the playing field for a team that you left?'' he snapped.
Fed up with Ron's attitude, Harry shut the book with a loud snap. ''As a matter of fact, I won't be going to Hogsmeade at all!'' he exclaimed. ''I was planning on telling you about it before leaving but you know what? Maybe Hermione does make for better company right now!'' Without waiting for an answer, Harry jumped up from the bed, pulled the invisibility cloak from the trunk and already stuffed it in his school bag. He could not handle Ron feeling sorry for himself and his own choices at the moment. Without another word, Harry stormed down the stairs in search of Hermione. It didn't take long. After seeing that she wasn't in the common room, his next best bet of 'library' paid off. She was in her favourite spot, reading.
''Is Ron being insufferable?'' she asked without looking up, flipping a page as he dropped down on a chair opposite of her.
''How did you know?''
The girl sighed and made brief eye contact before her eyes drifted towards the text in front of her again. ''Ginny told me at breakfast that the entire Gryffindor team is staying here for a full practise day. He's always in a foul mood nowadays when Quidditch comes up. I'm torn between trying to encourage him and telling him to quit. Being at the team has always been a big dream of his but…''
''He isn't that bad when he gets his head in it,'' Harry defended.
''Maybe, but from stories of the Twins and Ginny, his head hasn't been in it since the try-outs. And even there, Angelina only didn't pick Frobisher or Hooper over Ron because of their attitudes and busy schedules. He's not exactly… a star player. I want him to succeed, I really do! But I also want Ron to be happy and I can see that Quidditch is nothing at all like he imagined it, only a large additional stress factor. The only reason he's really playing is because all of his siblings made it to the team and were excellent at it. Ron loves the idea of playing, not the actual practise and matches. It's our O.W.L. year and I'm worried he's going to keep putting this before more important issues such as exams or the people who care about him, and all for the wrong reasons!''
Harry understood the girl's concern, but he knew Ron. Critique would push their friend away further. None of them could use that now that it was so vital to stick together.
''I suppose you're right,'' Hermione agreed after he voiced those thoughts. ''On another note, anything I need to bring for you from Hogsmeade? If you make a list that isn't too long, I can surely smuggle in some sweets and a butterbeer.''
''I appreciate that,'' Harry answered, cheering up a bit. He'd tried to avoid the topic of the Hogsmeade weekend as much as possible, not wanting to be constantly reminded of the fact that he wasn't allowed to attend any further visits to the quaint village for the entire year. He rummaged through his bag and withdrew quill and ink. As he put it on the table, he caught Hermione's quirked eyebrow as her eyes were trained on his opened bag. Specifically, the bunch of silvery fabric he had stuffed in it.
''You're not planning on sneaking out, are you?'' she whispered. ''Harry! You cannot afford disobeying Umbridge so openly!''
''It's not openly if I'm invisible and no-one catches me,'' he hissed back. ''Also, I'm not directly defying my punishment. I'm not going to Hogsmeade.'' This appeared to catch her interest, for she finally shoved her book away. Harry nervously licked his lips. ''I've been invited by… by my friend. You know, the one I like,'' he stuttered quietly, feeling his heart speed up a little bit. ''I have a Portkey with me, but it will only work outside of the wards, so I'm going into one of the tunnels and seeing how far in I need to go for it to activate. I'll be back before dinner.''
''Harry!'' Hermione whispered back, although she didn't look very worried anymore. ''You have a date? Today?''
Quickly, he shook his head. ''It's not really a date… I think. I mean, he just invited me over for tea and talking. He picked the Hogsmeade weekend as everyone will be busy, including teachers, so no-one will search for me during that time.''
She gave him a knowing smirk. ''Sure he did. Does this mean that the birthday visit went well? You were so secretive about it before and I didn't want to push, but if it went well, tell me everything! Did he like the book?''
''Instantly started reading upon unwrapping it,'' Harry chuckled fondly. ''I was a bit surprised about that.''
''Oh, I've driven my parents insane by doing the same,'' she grinned. ''If I'd get a book - which usually was the case as I asked for nothing else – I didn't care about anything else apart from reading it as soon as possible. That must have caused a few awkward moments now I look back on it. Funny that he's similar. And other than that?''
He scratched his head awkwardly. ''We had cake and talked lots afterwards. Erhm… he admitted that he doesn't really know what he feels or how to deal with it. Despite that, the evening was incredibly nice and he let me stay in the guest room overnight. I suppose it's improving and maybe we might actually get somewhere? There's also a problem with the whole age gap issue that he isn't really comfortable about… we had some talks about that.'' Then, Harry had an epiphany. ''Hey, how did you and Krum get around that? I mean, he was already an adult when you got together last year and you were only fourteen, right? As an international Quidditch star, didn't he get bad press for dating a minor? Not… not that I'm judging,'' he hurriedly added. ''But you are official and all, right?''
Now it was Hermione's turn to get flustered, going beet red as she twirled her already frizzy hair. ''Well, yes, but we haven't done anything… or much anyways, besides kissing,'' she defensively said. ''And he made that clear to both his Quidditch team and his family. They seem to all be fine with it as long as it doesn't cross certain boundaries. I honestly prefer it like this. I can enjoy his company without having to worry about being pushed into anything, because I know he completely agrees that the limit lies at a bit of snogging. He's really a gentleman. Maybe his reputation preceded him, for there hasn't been negative media about our relationship, only some articles in a magazine similar to Witch Weekly, but that was more an attack on me for taking away the spot at his side instead of painting him in a bad light.'' She rolled her eyes. ''We're only a few years apart in age, so we didn't find it too big of an issue ourselves. I'm meeting with him today actually, he's coming to Hogsmeade for a date.''
''Viktor is coming all the way here from Bulgaria? That's really nice of him. Any special occasion?''
Hermione looked at him funny. ''Harry... do you pay attention to anything?''
Affronted, he replied: ''Of course! That's why I'm asking! I know you're together… do you have your anniversary or so? You never told me when you became 'official', only that it was sometime after the Yule Ball that you decided to be a couple.''
Hermione giggled a bit. ''You're not far off with that, but our anniversary was mid-January. So, I hope I answered your question a bit?''
''I suppose, but he really is a fair bit older, so I'm not sure if the same applies to us. He is even hesitant about anything beyond friendly hugs,'' Harry said in frustration. ''Truth be told, he kissed my forehead on his birthday, but then freaked out about it.''
To his surprise, Hermione's smile only widened. ''You know what, Harry? I think you have nothing to worry about. Last year you said that you were afraid of what you felt, that it could never work… But honestly, if this guy is in emotional turmoil over giving you a kiss on the head, then he cannot be as bad as you described before. I would be far more worried if he instantly gave in to your pushing and completely threw the fact that you have some complications to work through out of the window. Go on, don't wait longer and hurry up to your date.''
'''Itsnotadate,'' Harry managed to mumble, already packing his bag again, shoving the hastily scribbled list of sweets to Hermione.
''Maybe check a calendar before leaving,'' she cheerfully called after him, causing Madam Pince to stick her head around the corner and shush her.
Tell me your thoughts on how Harry handled the news on the Dursleys, it was a bit tough to figure out his emotions.
Now the poor boy has a whole new set of problems due to it though.. consequences are a B.
Next up, a meeting that many of you have been waiting for ;P Plus the mandatory 'addressing a ton of issues by unloading on Voldemort'.
Actually, this and the next chapter had been planned as one chap... but then it became 16k and the second part addressed some things way too soon.
SO, the second part will be chapter 68 now, but as it was technically supposed to go in this one and I would feel as if I'm just cheating you guys out of content otherwise, I'm making the compromise of uploading the next chapter as soon as my beta gets around to checking it, which will hopefully be within the next two weeks somewhere :)