Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket.
A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid.
Chapter 9: Longbottom Manor. Harry 2 Dumbledore 0 Rat -1
I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.
Summary: A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. As they approach the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley, Hagrid decides to present Harry with his gold ticket to the Hogwarts Express, while Harry was really expecting to go directly to Hogwarts with Hagrid now. Harry asks a different question.
And that changes everything. HHr NLLL T for Characters deaths.
07/02/22 Beta by alix33. Thank you.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
The fireplace in the headmaster's office flared green flames as Severus Snape stepped out. He prepared his mind to face the manipulative old fool as he quickly noticed all the damage to the office, and that Fawkes and the Sorting Hat were missing. The heavy oak door to the headmaster's private chamber was bulging out as if something inside was pressing hard against it to get out, and the warning sign on the door said in big red letters.
'DO NOT OPEN!
THIS DOOR IS OUT OF BOUNDS TO EVERYONE
WHO DOES NOT WISH TO DIE A VERY PAINFUL DEATH!
THIS MEANS YOU!'
Dumbledore noticed young Severus glance at the door to his Private Quarters and read the sign. He himself was most annoyed that the Castle's House-elves had filled his inner sanctum with Acceptance Letters, and blocked his access to all of his beautiful colourful robes. But more importantly it blocked his access to his diary, and critical ancient magical artifacts that he had hidden in there, and had used to correct events and maintain the course of His Greater Good. He could have summoned them with his beloved Elder Wand but he couldn't find the damn thing anywhere and there was so much damage to his office. He really wanted to use his Enhanced Extended Time-Turner to go back and fix whatever the Boy had done on his birthday that led to him escaping Durzkaban, and to find his beloved Elder Wand. But he dare not open that Pandora's door from painful experience.
And Fawkes had gone AWOL, and was refusing to answer his orders er requests.
So now the headmaster had to find the Boy the old fashion way. Go and look himself.
Dumbledore impatiently stood up from behind his desk and approached his pet Death Eater. "Severus, my boy, where have you been?"
The headmaster calling Severus, 'his boy', rankled the thirty-one year old. He started to answer but the headmaster cut him off.
"Come quickly, my boy, something has happened to young Harry." The headmaster said as he grabbed his hand like an exasperated old grandfather and didn't notice the micro smirk on Severus' face. He threw some floo powder into the fireplace.
"To the Cattery!"
In a green flame, the headmaster and potions professor stepped out of the fireplace of the home of Arabella Doreen Figg. Severus wrinkled his nose at the strong scent of cross-bred cats and kneazles, and he watched the kneazles scatter from the room at their unwelcomed presence.
Arabella came into the room to find out what had frightened her kneazles. "Dumbledore, you old fool. Where have you been?"
"Not now my dear, Arabella. We need to check on young Harry."
"Didn't you read my owls? The Dursleys have gone." Arabella yelled at him for fobbing her off.
"Gone? Gone where?" The headmaster was paying attention now.
"No idea! If they had any sense they would go far away from you! A large truck came and packed up the house and they drove off. The next thing a For Sale sign appears." Arabella yelled at him.
"Why didn't you owl me?"
"I did, you old fool."
"Was Harry with them?"
"No!"
Dumbledore paled as he took out a silver cigarette lighter.
Severus recognised it. The headmaster had called it his 'Put-Outer'. He was not sure what it exactly did but it was obvious that the headmaster was using it to track Harry Potter. Most likely tracking Harry's magical blood. Severus was so glad that Harry was hidden behind the ancient wards of Longbottom Manor.
Dumbledore flicked the silver Put-Outer open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The fear on his face showed as he glanced at Severus, and rushed out of the front door to run as fast as he could to Number four Privet Drive with Severus and Arabella trying to keep up. Severus realised that there must be enough of Harry's magical blood still in the house for the silver Put-Outer to track, and he feared how that magical blood had got there.
The headmaster ran straight past the For Sale sign and up to the front door.
Then Severus noticed the headmaster pull out a different wand to unlock the front door and stopped.
The house was bare. All the furniture, fitting, rugs and pictures were gone.
Severus and Arabella stood by the front door as the terrified headmaster rushed to the bulging cupboard under the stairs. He was in a panic now as there were large boards across the cupboard door and screwed into the frame to ensure it couldn't be opened. He gave a frantic wave of his wand to banish the boards and the cupboard door to reveal that Harry's former tiny bedroom was crammed chock- a-block full of Hogwarts Acceptance Letters. All addressed to Harry Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs.
The timber frame supporting the cupboard and stairs groaned as the shrunk letters started to expand.
"Oh. Nooo! Not again!"
Was all the headmaster could think to say.
In the brief moment of a countdown between zero and ignition, the headmaster tried to activate his emergency Portkey. But unfortunately it was blocked by the famous blood wards he himself had set up over Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
"Well Damn!"
The headmaster said as he stoically faced his doom. He knew this was going to hurt.
As the suddenly freed letters unshrunk and the timber frame cracked and shattered.
BABABOOM!
As Harry's Hogwarts Acceptance Letters that he had sent exploded out of the cupboard under the stairs and rammed into the old arrogant headmaster sending him flying across the living room and slammed him hard into the opposite wall. He was soon buried under another pile of letters as the extra magic he put into banishing the boards and cupboard door caused the Geminio charm or abusive duplication curse that the headmaster had placed on the Acceptance Letters before he sent them to be supercharged and multiplied the Acceptance Letters to infinity and beyond.
The empty house shook as it was suddenly filled to bursting with Acceptance Letters, while Severus quickly pulled Arabella away from the open front door as Acceptance Letters flooded out of the doorway and passed them.
Severus tried to enter the house but it was full of Acceptance Letters. He waved his wand to vanish them but that only caused the Geminio curse to multiply them. He smirked as he remembered that Harry had warned him about the cupboard under the stairs and was so glad he had listened and not followed the old fool too closely. He even felt a little sorry and more understanding of what Harry and Petunia suffered at the hands of the foolish headmaster.
Then Severus smelt gas. "Oh, no. The gas main had been ruptured. Quickly, this way."
Severus led Arabella around the front of the house to the side, and noticed a headmaster shaped protuberance in the brick wall. A wave of his wand vanished the displaced bricks away to reveal a crushed headmaster. He peeled off the old foolhardy idiot as more letters poured out the headmaster shaped hole left behind. They carried him away to Arabella's home. Unfortunately the headmaster had dropped his old original Ollivander wand and the silver Put-Outer. They were now buried under tonnes of expanded Acceptance Letters that the foolish manipulating headmaster had sent.
Just as they stepped past the ward line of Number Four, the gas filled house exploded in a gigantic fireball, that rose up in a humongous flaming mushroom cloud as the headmaster's illegal blood wards tried to contain the force before they catastrophically failed. The flames were made all the more intense with all the magic on the Acceptance Letters and the magical potential stored up and contained in the silver Put-Outer and the headmaster's Ollivander's wand. The surrounding houses had windows shattered and car alarms were triggered.
Severus used Arabella's fireplace to floo the unconscious injured Dumbledore directly to the Hogwarts hospital wing and handed the old fool over to the gentle care of the Madam of Pain. The headmaster would be in another full body bind as all his bones were regrown and placed in a magical coma until the start of school. Which pleased the Professors no end as they could prepare the castle quicker without his interference.
Severus sent an owl to Harry to tell him of the headmaster's misfortune and to inform him that Dumbledore would be out of action for another two weeks. Severus spend the next week completing his preparations and then returned home for a few days, but the old home seemed so empty and alone without Harry there.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Croaker and Sirius popped into existence outside the wards of the Burrow. They were invisible due to the charms on their Unspeakable robes. Croaker decided to just collect the rat without the knowledge of the Weasleys so they would think the rat had died or ran away, and would not know that they had harboured the betrayer of the Potters for ten years. He was sure the headmaster could twist everything around and use the Weasleys' misfortune against Harry and Sirius.
Sirius' inner grim soon picked up the pungent stench of Pettigrew and followed it to a fat rat sleeping in the sun in the Weasleys' orchard. A quick stunner and they were gone with their prize. Leaving behind the youngest redhead boy none the wiser that his unwanted pet was no more. Who would want an old disgusting hand-me-down rat? Even if the headmaster had continued to give his special blessing to allow a pet that was not on the Official Approved Familiar List. But the headmaster had his reasons to allow that particular rat.
Croaker and Sirius returned to Longbottom Manor and locked Pettigrew in a room in the basement that served as a dungeon. Frank and Alice had let Moony use it on occasions for the full moon. Croaker removed Pettigrew's left arm and dark mark to prolong the rat's life so he could stand trial. Sirius vanished the bones from the rat's remaining limbs so the rat wouldn't be able to run away.
Sirius almost killed the rat then and there when a search for wands and Portkeys had revealed the hated yew wand of Voldemort, along with the wands of Alice, James and Lily. The proof to show the rat had been there when the attacks occurred.
Sirius returned Alice's wand to Neville and the wands of James and Lily to Harry. Harry and Neville had similar tearful reactions to receive the missing wands of their parents.
Croaker used an enchanted artifact to extract the rat's memories and store them in a large book.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
The first thing in the morning of the next day, Gran took Harry to meet Goldenclaw, the Potter Account Manager, along with Aunt Petunia's letter for change of guardianship to remove Dumbledore's access to the Potter vaults and properties, and establish her guardianship of Harry. Sirius had agreed to this as he was not free and Gran was more politically powerful and motivated to stand against Dumbledore. As Harry didn't have his gold vault key, for Hagrid had taken it back for safekeeping, Goldenclaw canceled the missing key and anyone who tried to use it would be fed to the dragons. He issued Harry a new little gold key to his trust vault and gave him the heir ring for the House of Potter. Neville had already received the heir ring of the House of Longbottom on his birthday.
That afternoon, Healer Tonks brought Frank and Alice home to Longbottom Manor and away from St Mungo's which had too many of Dumbledore's spies and those who owed him favours.
Gran gave Andy the phial of Phoenix tears to see if that would help recover the minds of Frank and Alice. Andy treated them and used the Phoenix tears as eye drops. They watched carefully to see if it worked. Their eyes cleared up as their minds got back into gear. Frank and Alice were physically weak but their minds were sharp and could remember almost everything. Including the visits by Neville. They were moved to master bedroom as the bed was enormous and there was plenty of room for Neville to snuggle with his parents. Not that he had much of a choice as Alice wouldn't let him go. They made good use of Longbottom Manor to recover their strength and be with Neville before he left for Hogwarts.
Harry and Luna were so happy for Neville, Gran, Frank and Alice. Harry cooked them Eggs Benedict and they recognise Lily's recipe and his cooking as it brought back memories of happier times.
Harry and Luna's Godmother Alice hugged them to pieces. Luna loved having a mother again; while for Harry it was a completely new experience. One he soon got used to.
Neville returned the wands to his parents and they were happy to feel them in their hands. Though Frank thought he had burnt out his wand fighting Bellatrix and would need a new wand when he was fully recovered.
This also meant that Neville now needed a new wand but Gran was so happy to have her son and daughter-in-law back that she completely forgot about that.
While head healer, Andromeda Tonks, was there, Gran got her to give Sirius and Harry a full check-up. Andy was surprised to see her cousin Sirius away from Azkaban and was sad how he had suffered from the Dementors. She outlined a treatment plan to restore his health and mind.
Andy was more surprised to see how different Harry appeared and was shocked at the state of Harry's health and the injuries of his childhood and realised that only Harry's magic had kept him alive. But she was impressed with the improvement that had been made with the potions Severus had supplied. Andy healed or regrew the damaged bones, and removed the remains of the excessive binding on Harry's magical core and removed all the remaining blocks someone had placed on his inherited magical abilities and gifts. If allowed, this child could reach a Double Arch-Mage magical power, and she had never seen a Multi-Animagus before. But she was sure being a Parseltongue was a sure link to the Peverell Family and having natural Occlumency will be a big help around the manipulative headmaster.
She wondered how Voldemort was able to discover and targeted Harry so early at one year old as he would certainly grow up to be a dire threat to Voldemort's power and the Death Eaters, and even be more of a challenge to Dumbledore's Greater Good when he starts Hogwarts. And the only one who had contact with Harry with the skills to assess his amazing potential was the headmaster.
Andromeda checked Neville and Luna and removed the blocks Gran had forgotten she had placed on Neville after his parents were attacked. She also had brought her daughter, Nymphadora, (though you must never call her that unless you wish to suffer a most painful death), to visit and sleepovers, and befriend Harry, Neville and Luna, as she would be a seventh year Hufflepuff prefect and could help keep an eye on them at Hogwarts.
And the more people watching out for Harry, the better!
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Harry shared the information Sev sent him about the misfortune of the headmaster, and they all had a good laugh and were pleased that they didn't have to worry about the old fool showing up unexpectedly and unwelcomed.
Harry didn't share the last part of Sev's letter where he signed off;
'Take care, Sev.
Wish you were here!'
Harry kept that to himself as it was the first time someone had ever said that they wanted him.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Meanwhile.
In operation, Hermione's Guardian Angel, Louis reported that the yapping little terror from next door had decided to stay indoors whenever Hermione was home.
Princess reported that Hermione and her mother had mounted an expedition in full Indiana Jones costume to Flourish and Blotts and would sit reading in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, while Hermione searched everyone's face obviously looking for that special someone. Emma checked the menu to find an ice cream treat that was sugar-free. She discussed her needs with Florean who gently pointed out that that was not normally a problem for children as magic consumed a lot of energy. But he saw the opportunity for adults and rose to the challenge to make a healthy sugar-free low fat full flavour ice cream that he could offer to the discerning larger size weight conscious witch. He discovered a magical sugar beet that had one hundred times the sweetness, and called his new healthy ice cream treat Emma's Knickerbocker Glory. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor became even more popular and even branched out into takeaway and Owl Orders using freezing charms on the packaging.
Princess, Hedwig and Louis discussed this new development as it meant that Hermione had realised that the boy she saw at the Museum was a wizard. They hoped that they could arrange an opportunity for Harry and Hermione to meet before Hogwarts.
Hermione's witchy senses were tingling that someone was watching over her.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Thank you for reading.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -