"I think it's time we stop for some lunch," Dave smiled, as he heard his grandson's stomach growl.
"You just want to eat some human food again, as we both know that kenning something is almost never quite the same," Harry teasingly accused him.
"That might be part of it," Dave shrugged not looking at all embarrassed at having his intentions read so easily. "While I appreciate your grandmother's cooking ability, the ingredients have to be brought from this world anyway, as kenning it just isn't the same, most times. I admit, I'm lucky, that your grandmother knows how to cook, since a lot of our kind does not, as they'd rather just make something with magic and take the time to prepare it the normal human way. Still, our relationship won't last forever and I know it. You already know that a lot of our kind know that food cooked in the normal way, with normal ingredients just tastes better than something that is made by magic or at least those that spend quite a bit of time here in the normal world do."
"Then you'll just have to learn how to cook," Harry teased his grandfather who laughed.
"I know how to, I just haven't had much practice in the last couple of centuries," Dave admitted. "I became fascinated with the way humans did things quite a few centuries ago, but the way that they cook has changed considerably in that amount of time as well. There didn't used to be much spice to food, because they were hard to get. They come from all over the world and there were no trade routes back then. It was also considerably more dangerous to cross the ocean. Of course, for someone like me, that wasn't a problem since I can just open a gate, but strangers were not always welcome back in those days and it could be dangerous to just show up out of the blue, with no sign of how I had come. Now though, things are easier, because the trade routes have been established for a long time now so it's not so unusual if a stranger shows up."
"Well, this is a chance for you to get back into practice then," Harry suggested, even as the two of them walked across Diagon Alley to one of their favorite restaurants.
"So it is," Dave said.
"I was aware that your relationship with my grandmother wasn't as good as it used to be," Harry said looking rather downcast.
"I know this upsets you, because for one thing you weren't raised sídhe," Dave told his grandson, "But you were aware that most relationships with our kind don't last very long at all really. A hundred years, even three or four hundred is really nothing for one of our race."
"I know," Harry whispered once they were escorted to a private table.
"I know you don't want our relationship to break up," Dave told his grandson gently, "but your grandmother and I have been together for a good long time. We've been together for well over 200 years now and that's a good long run for anybody. We were both aware that our relationship was not a permanent thing when we got together. We've had our differences of opinion before, but those are becoming more frequent in recent years. We try not to argue around you or the other children too much, but that doesn't mean we don't in privacy. Your grandmother thinks that I spend too much time in this world and that I need to be home more. Yes, she's aware that I'm spending time with you, our grandson and also getting supplies to take back, mostly food related, but she's starting to feel neglected and I have to admit that while I'm sorry for that, I do so just to avoid arguing with her, because of our differing opinions. We've just grown apart that's all, but never doubt that both of us will always love you and also our other children. Something that will never change and deep down you know this."
Harry sighed and nodded still looking rather melancholy.
"I'm sure that your grandmother will still visit frequently so that she can see you," Dave added. "She's not about to abandon you if that's what you're worried about, as she loves you and all the children that we've had together. We're just parting ways or at least we will be soon due to our differences. She'll always be welcome to visit and I'm sure she won't mind if you visit her if she settles down someplace. We both agreed that there would be no more children and in another year or so our youngest will technically, be of age and therefore, won't really need either one of us. Dudley is of course, welcome to stay, but he's also free to do what he wants. You can be sure that she'll spoil any grandkids rotten and so will I for that matter."
"I don't think I need to be thinking about having kids quite yet granddad," Harry said blushing. "It's not that I don't want to get married someday have some kids, but I'm only 15, so I don't think we need to worry about it quite yet."
"I suppose not," Dave agreed trying not to smile at his grandson embarrassment. His grandson still got embarrassed when certain subjects were brought up and one of those was having a family of his own. Dave well knew that his grandson would love to have children someday, but there was no need to really be concerned about that subject, right now, as he had just turned 15 about a week ago. Harry, was a very modest person and Dave had no idea whether or not he would've been the same way if not for his experience with the Dursleys. Of course, it was possible even likely that he still would've been extremely modest, but at least he knew how to stand up for himself unlike if he had remained with Petunia and Vernon. Although he hadn't shown his reaction at the time he had been rather terrified that Harry would actually take his life, just as he'd told Dumbledore he had been contemplating just because his life was so horrible. For a five-year-old to contemplate suicide was not something that Dave ever wanted to hear again, although he was well aware that children did such a thing every day all over the world. There was never a good reason for a child, especially a young one to take their lives, but Dave was well aware that some children saw it as the only way out of their situation. He would rescue every single one of those children if he could, but he would have to find out about their situations first and there was no way to do that without invading a families privacy.
"So to change the subject have you asked out this girl you were telling me about a few weeks ago?" Dave asked.
"I haven't been able to get her alone," Harry admitted. "Girls always seem to travel in packs, even if they're just going to the loo. She's never without at least one other girl, her best friend Tracy. I can actually understand them traveling at least in pairs, as some of the Gryffindors in particular hex them for no reason, even if they're just minding their own business. It's not a practice I approve of, but I can't really do anything to stop it and the teachers of course, refuse to do anything unless they are caught in the act."
"That's not a good way to maintain discipline," Dave said shaking his head.
"I know," Harry said. "Children need to be punished when they do wrong. I think it's Dumbledore's policy and the teachers have to follow along, which I believe has made them rather complacent when it comes to disciplining students. Malfoy for instance practically gets away with murder."
"I hope you're watching yourself," Dave said and Harry nodded.
"I am. I avoid the headmaster as much as possible and believe me if you didn't insist on me going back for my O.W.L.s I would never set foot in Hogwarts again. Sure, I would miss all my friends, but as I said we could get together when schools not in session. I suspect that Dumbledore is going to cause quite a ruckus when he learns that I didn't come back for my sixth year," Harry said.
"I think you should tell him at the end of next year before school gets out," Dave suggested his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Oh, that would be great," Harry said, as he started to grin. "I can just imagine his reaction when I tell him I won't be coming back for my last two years. He knows that technically, I don't have to, because once I take my qualifying tests at the end of the year I don't have to come back for my last two. "Might not be as easy to take them at the ministry, but that's what I'm going to do because he really has annoyed me to the point I'd rather avoid him altogether. I can just see the Minister of Magic raising bloody hell though. Fudge has no idea how much trouble I've been having with Dumbledore."
"You could point him in Dumbledore's direction," Dave suggested with a smirk. "You could keep Dumbledore very busy trying to save his own hide. You know that Fudge will do everything in his power to keep on your good side, because he wants to retain that golden endorsement. If he knew how much Dumbledore had annoyed you due to his plans and schemes and trying to get you involved. I doubt very much that he knows anything about Dumbledore bringing a dangerous magical artifact into the school, a school full of children no less, some of whom are from very important magical families. Dumbledore would've wanted to keep the fact that he had such a dangerous artifacts in the school under wraps, not tell the ministry."
"We let Fudge know that he did have such a dangerous artifact in the school, he'll more than likely go ballistic," Harry grinned at the simplicity of the plan.
"If only because he knows that his approval rating will go down the drain if the children come to harm, as they are the future of the magical community. The purebloods in particular will scream bloody murder," Dave said, smiling maliciously.
"Yes, some of the pureblood families are very powerful," Harry said with an expression of glee. "They'd have him out on his butt in no time at all, depending on how many favors he had to call in. If what happened in my first year isn't enough for Dumbledore to get what's coming to him there's always second, where there was a monster roaming through the pipes of the school petrifying several people. Of course, those people weren't purebloods, but if a giant monster petrifying students is not enough to make him furious the fact, that I had to deal with the beast just to protect Ginny Weasley..."
"Will definitely give Fudge a coronary," Dave smirked a little.
"My third year was relatively quiet," Harry said, "but last year was definitely wasn't."
"No, it wasn't, but at least we now know who entered you in the blasted Triwizard Tournament," Dave said still feeling furious about that. "It's something that Dumbledore should have prevented and believe me he and I had words. By the time I got done he looked rather the worse for wear because I lost my temper with him and you know I rarely do. I think he deliberately didn't prevent somebody else from putting your name in the goblet. He might not have known your name was going come out, but he could have canceled the contract and redrawn the names in the first 24 hours, something you would've discovered quickly if you'd had a copy of the contract in hand. I believe he wanted you to compete."
"Another one of his stupid tests, one not preplanned by Dumbledore," Harry snorted. "I didn't fall for the first test he tried to get me to participate in by dishonesty. Normally, it would have worked, because Gryffindors tend to be reckless, especially young ones."
"The basilisk might not have been a deliberate test, but I'm sure he was hoping that you would get involved," Dave said.
"I did end up get getting involved in that one," Harry said.
"Yes, but only to rescue a student," Dave said.
"I think the headmaster is deliberately ignoring the fact that I do have someone in my corner to prevent him from getting me involved with his stupid schemes. He's just so used to doing things his way he doesn't really care that he put students lives in danger or if he does he probably thinks he can control the situation.
"I won't deny that he's a very clever wizard, but he's also not a God, even if he believes he is," Dave said.
"That's the truth," Harry snorted his opinion of the headmaster crystal clear, but then Dave had known what his grandson thought of the Dumbledore for sometime. An opinion he shared. "He might have genuinely been close to my parents and respected them. He might even have loved me as a baby, but if that's true, that's not stopping him from testing me or trying to. I'm sure he would deny that he was testing me if I confronted him about it, but I believe that he is so obsessed with the prophecy and having me fulfill it in a certain way that any love he had for me as a baby is clearly not strong enough to overcome that obsession.
"He was willing to leave me with these he thought were my relatives and while I can understand that he didn't know that the Dursleys weren't related to my mother or that they would abuse me, I don't appreciate that he left me on their doorstep like some kind of parcel, without even doing any investigating to make sure they were suitable guardians.
"He just made a gigantic assumption without checking to make sure it was a safe environment for a young child. I won't say that having faith in people is a bad thing, because it's not, just that there is such a thing of trusting a person without making sure they can be trusted. I would have thought that Dumbledore would have learned that lesson when his sister was killed in a magical duel between him and Grindelwald."
"Maybe he figured because they were Muggles that they wouldn't be capable of doing something like that," Dave suggested.
"If he really did think that then he is even more of an idiot then I believed him to be. I know very well that a lot of the pureblood think that Muggles don't have two brain cells to rub together, but what they are either forgetting or deliberately ignoring is that they are all humans, even if some have an energy that they call magic. They are all the same species and if magicals are capable of betrayal then Muggles are as well," Harry said and Dave smiled in appreciation of his grandson's point.
"That's a very good point, grandson," Dave said smiling proudly.
"Thank you, but you taught me how to think for myself, how to form my own opinions and not just follow someone else. Dumbledore is aware that I'm not going to follow him like he's the next Messiah and yet he keeps trying to test me or at least that's what I believe."
"I agree with you," Dave said. "From all you've told me there was absolutely no reason for him to bring such a dangerous magical object into a school full of children. I'm sure that there were many things that the headmaster could have done with such a dangerous artifact, including destroying it. I suspect that if Magical Law Enforcement were to find out what he had done it would have them probably arresting him before he could blink."
"I suspect he would call in numerous favors and reduce it to a slap on the wrist," Harry snorted cynically. "I'm sure he's owed many favors, since anybody who is in politics for any length of time saves up favors as if they were candy."
Dave had to admit silently that Harry had made a very good point. He suspected that Dumbledore had a lot to support within the Wizengamot and among other important people.
"The Triwizard Tournament last year was what clinched it in my own mind. Dumbledore knew that the names could be redrawn within 24 hours and yet he told no one. He didn't even turn over copy of the contract like he was legally obligated to do. If I hadn't known so much about contracts thanks to what you've taught me along with the goblins I would've been forced to participate. Once again Harry Potter can't go to school and have just a quiet year, where there is no danger other than the usual bullying from some of the students that think they are better. I have no doubt that I would've been ridiculed and shunned by the entire school if I hadn't gotten out of it and when I did I was called a coward by some of the students, including Ron Weasley. Even my own housemates thought me a coward, except Hermione, Neville and surprisingly the Weasley twins. It should be obvious by now why I want nothing to do with the British wizarding world as a whole. If I could be called a coward for getting out of a tournament I didn't enter in the first place then I wash my hands of the entire situation."
"I can't blame you at all grandson," Dave said finally. "You were right when you said that most of the British wizarding world were sheep and did not bother to form their own opinions. I can't really blame you at all for wanting to move somewhere where magicals at least how to think for themselves."
"Yeah, I do. I was thinking America maybe or possibly Australia. Australia in particular is an especially big country and it would be impossible to find someone unless you knew specifically where they lived. I would try to convince Hermione, Neville, Sirius and Remus to move to," said Harry.
"The goblins would help you with all the details of transferring your money over there," Dave said.
"Yeah, they would," Harry said smiling. "I'm surprised they just don't close Gringotts here in England considering how the magicals here treat them."
"If the situation got bad enough they likely would," Dave said. "They won't allow Voldemort to make them slaves, so they'd leave before then, but since we only have one more object to find well that isn't too likely.
"Any idea with the last one is located?"
"Remus is doing some research for us," Dave said. "He has a particular gift for that, but so far no luck. We are going to try our best to find the last one before you finish this year. Once it's gone Voldemort will be toast, because you have the skills necessary to take him down."
"Oh well," Harry said disappointed.
"Don't worry grandson we'll find the last one and then you'll finally be free to live your life the way you choose."
"Which will be as far away from Dumbledore and those that want to use me for their own ends as possible," Harry said, as he ate the last bite of his lunch.
Harry took the last sip of his Butterbeer and then rose from the table. "I'll go pay the bill and then we can finish our shopping."
Dave nodded and watched as Harry sauntered casually between the tables, making sure the baseball cap he was wearing was on his head firmly and headed to pay the bill.
~~~Dave and Harry~~~