Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket.
A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid.
Chapter 16: Godric's Hollow. Where it happened.
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.
16/01/23 Beta alix33, thank you.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
The following day Gran took Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Susan, Hannah and Draco with G T, Remus, Sirius, Frank, Alice, Dan and Emma to Godric's Hollow to visit the graves of Harry's parents and to see where it happened. G T, Sirius and Remus gave Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma instructions on how to travel by Portkey.
The Portkey brought them to a hill that overlooked a quaint old village of brick and slate cottages surrounding a large square in the center with a church and graveyard and a pub and other shops. They followed the lane and gasped as they saw the first cottage with an overgrown hedge and grass and weeds.
The hedge had grown wild in the ten years since Hagrid had taken Harry from the rubble that lay scattered amongst the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in the dark ivy, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. Harry was sure that was where the curse had backfired. He and Hermione stood at the gate with the others gathered behind them. They gazed up at the wreck of what must once have been a cottage just like those that flanked it.
"I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?" whispered Emma.
"Sometimes you can't rebuild it?" Sirius replied. "Sometimes it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?"
Harry reached out a hand and grasped the thickly rusted gate, not wishing to open it, but simply so he would some part of the house.
"You're not going to go inside? It looks unsafe, it might — oh, Harry, look!"
His touch on the gate seemed to have done it. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up thorough the tangles of nettles and weeds, like some bizarre, fast-growing flower, and in golden letters upon the wood it said:
On this spot, on this night of 31 October 1981,
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard
ever to have survived the Killing Curse.
This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left
in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters
and as a reminder of the violence
that tore apart their family.
APWBD 01/11/81
And all around these neatly lettered words, scribbles had been added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy-Who-Lived had escaped death.
Some had merely signed their names in Everlasting Ink; others had carved their initials into the wood, still others had left messages. The most recent of these, shining brightly over ten years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things.
Good luck, Harry, wherever you are.
If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you!
Live long and prosper, Harry Potter.
Come back Harry, all is forgiven!
"They shouldn't have written on the sign!" said Hermione, indignant.
But Harry beamed at her. "It's brilliant. I'm glad they did. I ..."
He broke off. An old woman was hobbling up the lane toward them, her stoop, her stoutness, her shuffling gait all gave an impression of extreme age. They watched in silence as she drew nearer.
"That's Bathilda Bagshot, Harry." Gran said. "She has lived in the cottage a few doors up the lane for over a century."
"Oh? So she was here when my parents were hiding." Harry wondered as Gran nodded.
"Bathilda Bagshot? Did she write our history textbook, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Hogwarts, a History?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, she did, Hermione." Gran replied as she turned to her old friend. "Hello Batty. How are you today?"
"I do well Gusta." Bathilda replied as she took a closer look at the children.
"Bless my soul, I would recognise Lily's emerald green eyes anywhere," Bathilda whispered, "Harry Potter... what an honour."
She hobbled toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in her eyes.
"Welcome back, young Harry, welcome back."
"Thank you, Madam Bagshot." Harry replied. Now that he was beside her, Harry realized how tiny she was; bowed down with age, she came barely level with his head. While Sirius waved his wand around the group to cast a mobile Muffliato and Notice-Me-Not charms to avoid attracting attention as they walked through the village.
"I would visit you and your parents while you hid in Dumbledore's old family home." The old woman smiled as she remembered and then her smile turns sad. "They weren't here long before…"
"Oh?" Harry felt he had to do something for the sad old lady and followed Hermione's example. He wrapped his arms around the old lady in a Hermione Hug.
Old lady felt the warmth of the hug and cherished it with a smile. "Thank you, Harry. Your cheerful smile can brighten any day."
Gran chuckled. "Goldenclaw told me that Dumbledore sold his old family home to Harry after it was destroyed."
Bathilda chuckled. "Doesn't miss a trick, the old fool. Probably got double the value being a memorial now."
"Goldenclaw said that Dumbledore refused to allow them to restore it, but there are Goblin Stasis wards on it to maintain its destroyed appearance to discourage treasure hunters and hide it from Muggles who don't know that it is there." Gran explained. "The contents have been moved to your family vault Harry."
"Oh?"
"Come, we will go visit your parents' resting place and then you can have a cup of tea with me." Bathilda insisted.
"Lead on, Batty."
Gran said as they followed the old woman down the lane towards the heart of the village, a small square, was revealed to them. There was what looked like a war memorial in the middle, partly obscured by a windblown tree. There were several shops, a post office, a pub, and a little church whose stained-glass windows were glistening jewel-bright in the sun across the square. Villagers were crisscrossing in front of them, busy with their day and didn't notice them. They heard a snatch of laughter and pop music as the pub door opened and closed.
The old woman led them towards the graveyard but paused at the war memorial. They gasped as it had transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered in names, there was a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. Harry drew closer, gazing up into his parents' faces. He had never imagined that there would be a statue. How strange it was to see himself represented in stone, a happy baby without a scar on his forehead.
"What can you see, Hermione?" Emma asked.
"Oh?" Hermione said as she moved to hold her mother's hand. "Your magical core still needs a boost."
"Oh my, it changed to a statue of Harry, James and Lily." Emma said as Dan moved to hold his daughter's other hand.
"Oh wow?"
"Dumbledore did that the next day." Bathilda went into teaching mode. "He transfigured the existing Muggle War Memorial. It didn't take him long with that Elder Wand he had." She pointed out some ancient runes along the bottom edge. "He added those ancient runes to draw magic from the Ley Lines to power and maintain his transfiguration."
Hermione took out her notebook and copied the ancient runes to study later.
"It was the next day Dumbledore did that?" Augusta asked. "We were still in hiding and then we were attacked."
"Yes, it seemed a bit rushed for me too. There were only me and Dumbledore present, and I was only there because I saw him and came over. He buried James and Lily in the graveyard and then had to rush off to an emergency Wizengamot session." Bathilda explained.
Harry hugged the old lady again. "Thank you for being there for them."
Bathilda smiled. "You're welcome, Harry. And I could get used to these hugs." Then she paused as she thought back. "It was dangerous times and suddenly the evil monster was gone. Everyone felt like celebrating and by the time the dust settled your parents were a distant memory and Dumbledore was pushing the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived and how he was taking excellent care of you. A word to the wise, Harry. Be very careful around him as he loves to create chaos to control the narrative."
"Thank you, I am beginning to understand that." Harry replied.
They stood there and looked their fill, and then they turned again toward the church. As they crossed the road, Dan glanced over his shoulder; the statue had turned back into the war memorial.
There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Hermione pushed it open as quietly as possible and they edged through it, one by one. Behind the church, row upon row of white tombstones protruded from the grass.
"It's this way Harry and Hermione. They are buried next to my parents." Susan said as she and Hannah led them past the graves as they waded deeper and deeper into the graveyard, stooping to peer at the words on old headstones, every now and then squinting in the bright sunshine. While Bathilda walked with Gran.
Susan pointed to the dark lichen-spotted granite tombstone.
Hermione read out the words. "Kendra Dumbledore, and her Daughter Ariana. There is also a quotation: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"That's Dumbledore's mother and sister. They used to live in the cottage with Aberforth, his younger brother." Bathilda explained as Gran waved her wand to conjure a wreath of red roses and placed them on the grave for her friend Bathilda.
"Here!" cried Hermione again a few moments later. "Oh no, sorry! I thought it said Potter."
She was rubbing at a crumbling, mossy stone, gazing down at it, a little frown on her face. The grave was extremely old, weathered so that Harry could hardly make out the name.
Bathilda chuckled. "That's the grave of an ancient ancestor of yours, Harry. Ignotus Peverell. That triangular shaped mark with the circle and vertical line, is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows."
"Oh?" Harry said as Gran shook her head to discourage Harry from asking the next question otherwise they would be here all day.
Deeper and deeper amongst the graves Susan led them, and every time Harry reached a new headstone he felt a little lurch of apprehension and anticipation.
Then Susan's voice came out of the quietness, sharp and clear from a few yards away. "Harry, they're here . . . right here."
And Harry knew by her tone that it was his mother and father this time. Plus he could see Hedwig and Louis were sitting on the tombstone waiting for them. He moved toward them, feeling as if something heavy were pressing on his chest, the same sensation he had right after he magically returned to his cupboard under the stairs, a grief that had actually weighed on his heart and lungs. Susan and Hannah waited by the grave until Harry and Hermione slowly walked up, and then move to stand by the grave of her parents and give Harry a moment.
"Thank you, Susan and Hannah."
While Hedwig barked.
"Sorry Hedwig, we were discovering Godric's Hollow. Have you been here before?"
Hedwig barked with a nod.
"You came with Moony? Thank you for remembering them." Harry replied as he looked around.
The headstone was only two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. It was made of white marble, just like he had imagined and this made it easy to read, as it seemed to shine in the sun. Harry did not need to kneel or even approach very close to it to make out the words engraved upon it.
JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER
BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Harry read the words slowly, as though he would have only one chance to take in their meaning, and he read the last of them aloud. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death".
Hermione, her voice gentle. "It means . . . you know . . . living beyond death. Living after death. They can live in our heart, Harry."
She noticed that Bathilda was giving her a knowing look, as if those words meant something completely different to Dumbledore who had buried them and wrote those words. She filed that away to ask later as she needed to focus her attention on Harry who needed her now.
And tears came before Harry could stop them, boiling hot then running down his face, and what was the point in wiping them off or pretending? Hermione wrapped him up in a hug as Luna and Neville joined in while the others gave them room. Even Sirius had tears in his eyes as this was the first time he had been able to come and pay his respects as well.
Hermione had taken his hand again and was gripping it tightly. Harry could not look at her, but returned the pressure, now taking deep, sharp gulps of the warm air, trying to steady himself, trying to regain control.
Harry didn't turn to Hermione. He just quietly asked. "What do I say?"
"Speak from the heart, Harry, and tell them about yourself." Hermione offered.
Harry looked at the grave and imagined his parents standing there like the memorial statue and the words started to flow from his heart.
"Hi, mum and dad. I have missed you so much. This is my girlfriend Hermione, Sev said that she is so much like you, mum. Sev also said that I am so much you, mum with only a little bit like dad. While Sirius said I was more like dad. My best friends, Neville and Luna, Draco, Susan, Hannah and G T, are here with Sirius, Moony, Gran, Frank, Alice, Emma and Dan, Hermione's parents. I have two Snowy Owls, Hedwig and Louis trained by Moony, and they are from Horatio's family. Crookshanks found me in Diagon Alley and chose Hermione as his new Mistress and goes by the new name of Shere Khan. I brought Dobby and Winky back into the family. We start at Hogwarts in a few days. I kicked Voldemort's bum again on my eleventh birthday when he tried to attack Aunt Petunia. Sev said that Dumbledore's manipulations, (Hedwig and Louis spat at the name!), have backfired twice on him. Thank you for loving me and saving my life. I will…."
The words dried up as tears formed in his eyes. Hermione wrapped up Harry in a hug with Luna and Neville. While Draco was beginning to understand what losing a parent was like. Gran noticed him and wrapped him up in a hug as tears formed in his eyes. G T, Alice and Emma moved to Susan and Hannah and wrapped them up in a hug. Sirius, Remus, Frank and Dan just stared at the grave and silently prayed.
After the moment passed, Harry thought he should have brought something to give them, and he had not thought of it. But Sirius raised his wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of red roses blossomed before them.
"You will need to teach me that charm, Padfoot." Harry said as he caught it and laid it on his parents' grave and stood back to admire how beautiful they were.
"There are a lot of things I need to teach you, Pup." Sirius replied.
Sirius waved his wand and a beautiful lily blossomed in front of him. He caught it and laid it on the grave and stood back.
"Hi James and Lily. You would be so proud of Harry. He saved me from Azkaban and has continued Lily's punishment of Sev and has forgiven him. And he has pranked Dumbledore, (Hedwig and Louis spat at the name!), twice already even before he got to Hogwarts. You would be so proud of him. Sev said the pranks were absolutely fantastic and hit the old fool like a Bludger." He chuckled and then whispered. "I have missed you both so much."
Sirius burst into tears as Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna hugged him. They stood there to soak up the moment as Remus, Frank, Alice and Gran came forward to give their love and respects to James and Lily, and then they gave their love and respects to their other friends who rest beside them. As they left wreaths of different coloured roses and lilies.
Susan spoke quietly. "Your parents are not forgotten, Harry. Aunty would bring me here to visit my parents on Birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween and Christmas, and these are the graves of their friends who perished as victims of the Death Eaters." She pointed to more graves near them. "These graves would be covered in beautiful flowers in every colour of the rainbow."
Harry looked to Susan and she and Hannah joined the group hug with Draco and G T. As the adults took the hint and waved their wands to cover the graves of their loved ones in beautiful flowers in every colour of the rainbow.
"Oh? Wow! Thank you, Susan. That means so such to me." Harry spoke quietly. "We will have to visit this Halloween."
"I would love that, Harry." Susan smiled while Gran and Sirius were determined to make that happen despite a certain You-Know-Who. While Hedwig and Louis picked up a negative vibe and realised who they were thinking about and spat on the ground at the thought of the name!
Draco felt the loss and death his Pater Malus had caused and vowed to make sure it would never happen again.
After the moment passed, Harry looked around and saw that it was nice spot with plenty of sunshine in a beautiful old cemetery with tall ancient oak trees.
When they were ready, they turned to follow Bathilda back to her home, while Hedwig and Louis went hunting as they flew back to Longbottom Manor.
Leading them past the town square and several houses, she turned in at a gate. They followed her up the front path through a garden nearly as overgrown as the one they had left.
She fumbled for a moment with a key at the front door, then opened it and stepped back to let them pass. She led them into the dining room to see the table was set for lunch with the food Dobby and Winky had brought from Longbottom Manor, as they had spent so much time in the graveyard that it was now time for lunch.
"Well this is very nice." Bathilda said. "You ought to visit more often Harry. Come sit down and eat."
They sat down and enjoyed the food the elves had brought with pleasant conversation of when the Potters hid in the cottage and the history of magic.
Sirius passed on what Sev told him about what has happened to Dumbledore since Harry's birthday. "Sev told me that Dumbledore has been attacked twice by Hogwarts Acceptance Letters. Apparently someone had managed to return a whole load of them to the headmaster's office."
"Oh? Really?" Harry blushed.
Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, the returned Acceptance Letters had completely filled his office and he couldn't even open his large impressive automatic opening grand entrance ancient oak door. So he just vanished the oak door which unfortunately released and triggered an avalanche of Acceptance Letters that blew him back down the stairs to land across the gargoyle and buried him under a mountain of letters. Took an hour to dig him out and a week to clear the office."
"Oh?" Harry sounded a little disappointed.
"Apparently the Acceptance Letters were all addressed to you, Harry." Sirius smirked.
"Oh? Well, he didn't have to send so many. It really upset uncle Vernon and caused me a lot of pain." Harry defended himself.
Sirius chuckled. "What everyone wants to know is how on earth you managed returned them?"
"Oh? Well I just asked Hedwig and she sent Louis and there were hundreds of Magical Mail Owls waiting for a reply. They are really amazing."
"Oh? Anyway that little incident put the headmaster out of action for two weeks, and then he dragged Sev to search Number Four Privet Drive as he had lost track of you." Sirius laughed. "The Dursleys had disappeared and the house was completely empty. Sev thanks you for the heads-up and he let Dumbledore open the cupboard under the stairs by himself. The old fool used too much magic to open the door to the cupboard and it was chock-a-block full of Acceptance Letters. They exploded out of the cupboard to fill the house, damaged the gas main and rammed Dumbledore into the brick wall. Sev had to vanish a section of the brick wall from the outside to rescue the old fool before the house blew up in a gigantic fireball."
"The house is gone?" Harry questioned.
Sirius nodded. "All that is left is a hole in the ground."
"YES!" Harry fist pump for joy. "He can never send me back there. Safest place for me. My foot!"
Hermione hugged Harry to share his joy.
"You know Harry, when your father and I were at Hogwarts, we prided ourselves as masters of pranks, we had a group called the Marauders, but we were never able to prank the headmaster so much that he was out of action, and you have done that twice before even reaching Hogwarts." Sirius smiled. "Your father would be ever so proud. And so would be Lily, she wasn't too happy with the headmaster towards the end."
Harry smiled as he enjoyed Hermione's hug.
Gran took the opportunity and asked. "Speaking of Hogwarts, what are your plans for this year, Sirius?"
"Well, Andi has done wonders for my recovery and I hope to take it easy until the end of the year." Sirius replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I have heard from Minnie that one of Dumbledore's recent rehires is not well and they may be looking for a new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor soon." Gran explained.
"Oh?" Sirius thought about teaching Harry DADA at Hogwarts. "Well, I might not be up to it right now, but I would be interested. Maybe Moony and I could share the job if he is available. How many names do you have on the list?"
"Including yours?" Gran smiled.
"Yes."
"One!"
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
After lunch Sirius had a look at the large number of Bathilda's family photos in large and most ornate frames and saw a large photograph of two teenage boys, both laughing immoderately with their arms around each other's shoulders. He recognised a young teenage Dumbledore, now with elbow-length hair, and had grown a tiny wispy beard. The boy who roared in silent amusement beside Dumbledore had a gleeful, wild look about him. His golden hair fell in curls to his shoulders. He looked down at the caption on the bottom of the frame and read.
"Albus Dumbledore, shortly after his mother's death, With his friend Gellert Grindelwald."
"Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald?" Sirius repeated.
"Oh, you found that." Bathilda said. "That was my great-nephew, Gellert. He stayed with me for the summer after a little trouble at his school, Durmstrang."
"Didn't he become the Dark Lord Grindelwald?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, sadly but he was such a sweet boy. He and Albus were best friends." Bathilda explained.
Sirius snorted. "From the photo they were closer than that."
"Yes, well Albus had a bad influence on poor Gellert. Him with his mad ideas of some Greater Good and ruling Muggles. When he should have been looking after his younger brother Aberforth and his beautiful sister, sweet Ariana after the tragic death of his mother, Kendra." Bathilda explained. "Particularly after the terrible death of his father Percival, in Azkaban."
"Dumbledore's father died in Azkaban?" Sirius asked. "I never knew that."
"Yes." Bathilda replied. "Albus never spoke of his father but tried his best to succeed in the world as if his father never existed. He has been running away from that shame ever since as it was all his fault to begin with. Always too busy, too important to care for family. If only he had got his head out of the clouds and did what he was asked to do that afternoon while his father was busy working to earn the money to pay for Hogwarts. Sweet Ariana wouldn't have been attacked and Percival wouldn't have gone to Azkaban, never to return, and poor Kendra wouldn't have been left alone to care for the children. After he had finished Hogwarts, he could have gone on his Grand Tour and never met Gellert."
"So the headmaster has been interfering with everyone else all of his life." Harry surmised.
"Yes, Harry." Bathilda agreed.
Hermione saw an opening. "What did those words mean to the headmaster? The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
Bathilda smirked. She knew Hermione would be a brilliant student as she took out a notebook. "Well, Albus had he head full of the tale of the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand." She drew a straight vertical line. "The Resurrection Stone," she said, and added a circle on top of the line. "The Cloak of Invisibility," she finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle, to make the symbols that so intrigued Hermione. "Together," she said, "the Deathly Hallows. These three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death."
"Master of Death?" Hermione wondered what that meant.
"Master," said Bathilda, waving an airy hand. "Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer."
"He wanted to vanquish death?" Hermione questioned.
"Well, Dumbledore has the Elder Wand, but what is the good of having all that power if you just get old and die." Bathilda explained. "Albus always wanted power but failed to love his family. So I never trusted him. He even wanted to rewrite my book. Hogwarts, A History, to match his vision of Hogwarts."
"Oh, he shouldn't change history!" Hermione had a lot to think about as she had always trusted those in authority.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Then after lunch, Sirius sprung his surprise. He had talked Gran into booking a private box for the all witch Holyhead Harpies Quidditch match against their archrivals Puddlemere United that afternoon. Though Gran didn't need much encouragement as Alice and her supported the Holyhead Harpies, while Frank and Sirius supported Puddlemere United. And if Sirius wanted to pay, she wouldn't say no.
So they took a Portkey directly to their private box that over looked the center of the twelfth-century Quidditch pitch on the Ilkley Moor, an expanse of moorland above the town of Ilkley, located northwest of Leeds in Yorkshire. Dan and Emma were sort of familiar with the area and were surprised that this had been hidden from Muggles for hundreds of years.
The match was due to start soon, so Sirius, Remus and Frank took Draco, Dan, Harry and Neville to purchase the mud brown with two crossed gold bulrushes scarfs and funny oversize floppy hats to support the Puddlemere United. While on the other side of the souvenir market, Gran, Alice and G T took Emma, Hermione and Luna with Susan and Hannah to purchase the dark green with a golden talon scarfs and stylish hats to support the Holyhead Harpies. Hermione was surprised to spot Professor McGonagall and pointed her out to Gran, who spotted that she was with Professors Sprout and Flitwick, and Madam Hooch. They sent G T and Luna to warn the boys, before they returned to their private box as the match was due to start. They were thankful that Harry was with the boys on the other side of the souvenir market, and they returned safely to their private box as Dobby and Winky popped in the food and Butterbeer.
Alice tried to explain Quidditch to Dan, Emma and Hermione, but it was hard to follow as it was like no known Muggle sport that they had seen with so many different balls in play at once, and everyone flying at great speed on brooms.
Sirius and Frank loved it when Puddlemere United scored the first goals and took an early lead. While Dan, Harry, Neville and Luna loved the action. Emma and Hermione hoped no one was injured. Puddlemere United was in the lead, but not by enough, when the match was brought to a very abrupt and controversial end when the Golden Snitch was caught by the Holyhead Harpies and they had won the match by only ten points.
The controversy was that the Golden Snitch had been caught by Wilda Griffiths who was a Chaser and not the Seeker, but the witch referee ruled it fair after Wilda had accidentally swallowed the Golden Snitch after she had been deliberately hit by a Bludger as she was about to score a goal.
Gran, Alice, Emma, Hermione, Luna, Susan and Hannah cheered as their team had won, while Sirius and Frank tried to protest, and Remus, Draco, Dan, Harry and Neville just enjoyed the excitement of the game.
As the Quidditch match had finished early after only two hours, they decided to visit Potter Manor before returning home to Longbottom Manor. Draco said that he needed to go home, as did Susan and Hannah. They hugged Gran and thanked her for caring for them and hugged everyone else before they were popped home with Princess, Dobby and Winky.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
They Portkeyed to Potter Manor hidden away in the beautiful surviving ancient woodlands of the Forest of Dean just inside Wales, and Harry had to take ownership of the wards before they could enter. Dan and Emma were impressed as the manor looked like a smaller version of Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire but little signs of unkept and neglect showed as no one had been here since his parents left to go into hiding in Dumbledore's old family home in Godric's Hollow. Moony had been very busy over the last week tidying up the gardens and was about to start the restoration of the manor to its former glory. Sirius offered to help Remus arrange for the restoration to continue while Harry was at Hogwarts and they hoped that they could spend the Christmas holidays there.
Harry found the magical portraits of his grandparents, Charlus and Dorea Potter and they were excited to see him. They gave him a small desktop portrait to take to Hogwarts so they could visit him. Sadly they didn't know where the magical portraits of James and Lily were, and Sirius and Gran were determined to find them and return them to Harry, along with the missing Cloak of Invisibility. The first person they would ask would be the usual suspect, Albus Dumbledore.
Everyone was happy with the improvement in Moony's health after it was confirmed that he was cured of lycanthropy and Harry was over the moon. Gran wanted the children to have an early night, while Sirius and Moony would have celebrated in Marauders' style and gone out and got drunk. But now they have Harry in their lives they decided to set a good example and to go out to celebrate with Severus, Narcissa, Frank, Alice, Dan and Emma with a nice dinner and a movie, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Remus' choice as the other movie was a chick flick, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
The same Friday evening, Gran was tired and fell asleep in her chair and Betsy popped her to bed early leaving Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna wanting to do something, so Harry suggested a rematch of the last pillow fight and they agreed. They sent Dobby to see if Draco was available, Winky to G T, and Princess to Susan and Hannah. They all came bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
And it was on again as Luna's bedroom was filled with smiling happy laughing children having fun with magic as flying pillows whizzed around to the cries of, "Wingardium Leviosa, Lumos, Nox, Protego, Accio, Evanesco, Protego Averto, and Expelliarmus!"
After they had enough, they collapsed onto the pile of pillows and Princess, Dobby and Winky brought in some of the leftover food and drinks from the party.
Hermione asked. "Susan, how are you feeling now?"
"I feel a lot better after that talk. Everybody knows my parents were murdered years ago just before Harry's, and I and Aunty Amelia still miss them dearly but everyone is sort of uncomfortable about what to say. And it feels like they never existed." Susan said quietly.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and waved their wand as Hermione said, "Rosa rubra," and a beautiful red rose appeared before her. "Here, Susan, for your mother."
Harry cast. "Rosa alba." and a beautiful white rose appeared before him. "Here, Susan, for your father."
The two roses floated to Susan and she gathered them in her arms with tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you, they are beautiful."
"Remind us of birthdays, special days and any day you feel down, and we will remember your family with roses."
Susan nodded a thank you.
Draco quietly spoke. "It must sucks that the monsters who did it just walked away after they paid their gold and the headmaster gave them all a second chance. They just didn't care about you."
"Thank you." Susan moved to hug him. "I am sorry that you lost your father, Draco."
Draco felt the hug and slowly opened up. "Thank you. I thought the world about my father, but in the last month all of his sins caught up with him and I could see that he was a vicious selfish evil bully who never created anything but manipulated and stole from others. He had given his heart and soul to the dark lord so he could do all the evil things. But the dark lord was all about power and control, and more selfish and evil and just took and destroyed everything. Even slaughtered Death Eaters who were not evil enough. I talked to my mother and Sev, and they explained that the dark lord would never deliver on his promises and would eventually go after Harry again, and so many will be caught up in the crossfire and die. The headmaster wasn't any help and seemed to actually encourage the situation. In the worst-case scenario we could have ended in a cataclysmic battle of Good versus Evil at Hogwarts and everybody dies. That was where the Blood War was heading before Harry stopped the dark lord dead. It has started again but this time all the Death Eaters are dead and sadly we have only lost Bozo and Barty Crouch. There were hundreds who died on the Good side last time." Draco said quietly.
Harry quietly spoke. "Sev explained that to me too. It seems the headmaster was playing both sides against each other."
Susan turned to Harry. "After what you had suffered, Harry, how are you so nice?"
Harry thought for a moment as Hermione added. "They bullied you and you could have fought back. But you didn't."
"Well, I had my mother's love in my heart as I remembered that she loved me and would want me to live." Harry replied. "And my relatives were bullies and were all about power and control, and only cared about themselves, but they were never happy. For they actually they ran on hatred, and hated everything including themselves, and me in particular. They would leave me with the old cat lady when they went out or went on holidays which gave me a break. I had to cook and look after the garden, and I enjoyed cooking and gardening. Gardens are a world unto itself. Full of life; just add sunshine, water and love. My uncle and aunt tried to bully the garden to do what they wanted, but they never considered the needs of the plants as they are all unique and different, and everything died. Another old lady taught me that gardens are like life, and run on love and self-sacrifice. She had the most beautiful garden that she loved and it loved her back tenfold. She taught me to love and to forgive. Gardens don't live in the past, but for the future. After the storm, the sun comes out and the garden forgives the damage and just starts to grow again."
Harry paused to collect his thoughts. "I forgave my relatives and that opened doors of opportunities for me that would have never opened otherwise, and I was ready for my next great adventure, free of my past. Bullies and dark lords win if they can force you to hate yourself and your neighbour."
"Wow, Harry." G T said. "The headmaster said that death is the next great adventure."
Harry chuckled. "That just shows that he lives in the past and he uses power and control to keep everyone trapped in the past with him. He only has death to look forward to for his next great adventure. We need to keep the love and let the past go, so we can live today."
"Wow! Your mother was a free spirit, full of life, and everyone was running to keep up with her. You are so much like her, Harry."
"Thanks, G T."
G T asked. "Which house do you hope to get in at Hogwarts? Hufflepuff would be a good match but your parents were in Gryffindor, and there is the evil rivalry with Slytherin. The headmaster uses hatred to divide and control the school."
"Yeah, I know. Well, Sev suggested that I try to get into Ravenclaw House at the sorting to avoid the Slytherin and Gryffindor toxic rivalry and hatred, and try to bring the school together, starting with the first years. So we don't grow up to hate and kill each other."
"That would be brilliant, Harry. Hannah and I are destined for Hufflepuff and we could work to help you unite the school." Susan said as Hannah nodded.
"I am destined for Slytherin, so I could work to bring Slytherin on board and help you unite the school." Draco offered. "The dark lord was always a dead-end option."
"Thank you, Hermione, Neville and Luna are also going to try for Ravenclaw. I am not sure how that will affect Gryffindor, but I understand that there is a redhead family who are diehard Dumbledore supporters who are always in Gryffindor, and they have a son who will be in our year." Harry explained.
"That would be the Weasleys." Draco said. "My Pater Malus told me that the Malfoys and Weasleys hated each other with a passion. Their mother was a Prewett, and is very loud, and very opinionated, and very bigoted, and so is the youngest son, Ronald. My Pater Malus loved to push her buttons and set her off. They are a large but poor family and deep in debt to the headmaster. It wouldn't surprise me if the headmaster has asked them to befriend you and for Ronald to be your only best friend and trap you to the headmaster. That is what my Pater Malus wanted me to do, and bring you over to the dark side."
Harry chuckled. "I hope we are already friends, Draco."
"We are and I must thank you. What you did to make peace between Sev and Sirius really saved my mother and me and allowed us to abandon the evil Malfoy name and rejoin the Black Family."
"You are welcome, Draco, love and forgiveness opens doors of opportunities, and I hope to make lots of friends."
G T chuckled. "All the witches want you Harry. So it is good to see that you already have a girlfriend." Harry and Hermione beamed and hugged. "And Draco is right, you will be walking into a political minefield at Hogwarts. So going into Ravenclaw would be a big step to unite the school and end the toxic hateful Slytherin and Gryffindor rivalry. I am more than happy to help unite the school."
"Thank you. Well it is getting late so shall we see you on the Hogwarts Express?"
They nodded as G T spoke. "I shall arrange for a compartment big enough for all of us."
"Thanks, G T. And remember mum's the word. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for the headmaster."
"Actually James is the word. We must call you, James, from now on until the sorting." G T said. "So, goodnight, James and all. I really need my beauty sleep."
The elves popped them away to their homes happy and exhausted with high hopes that Hogwarts would be different this year. While James, Hermione, Neville and Luna snuggled up on the pillows and were soon fast asleep under their Love Lights and dreaming sweet dreams.
They hoped they would be cute enough to not be disturbed until breakfast.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -
Thank you for reading.
- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -