Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 69 – Year 4
"Time for me to go" said Sirius, with a big yawn, dressed up in his still wrinkly auror uniform. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."
"To think you can now say something like that without everyone around starting to laugh" commented Lupin, amused, as he was setting the table inside the living room of Grimmauld's place.
"Hush, professor. Harry, that was meant for you. I will be back by tomorrow" added Sirius, picking up a wrapped bundle that smelled suspiciously of sandwiches.
"We'll be fine, Sirius. Just go" said Harry, rolling his eyes. Sirius smirked, raised his hand in goodbye and left.
"Poor Sirius. Double shift" said Remus, smiling. On the table, everything was ready for dinner.
"At least the pay is good, as far as the ministry goes. Which means it is still pretty bad" commented Harry with a smile, while sitting down. "So, what do we have tonight?"
"Kreacher's best, once again. I hope Sirius was careful in giving him orders" answered Lupin. For a while both of them were busy tasting their first dish but, after a couple minutes, their conversation restarted.
"We are still alive!" commented Harry in a cheery tone. "Well done, Sirius."
"Give the old bugger some rest, Harry" countered Lupin. "After Dumbledore destroyed, well, you know what he is been relatively more pleasant."
"Meh" grunted Harry, uncaring. "You are not the one being threatened to live with it permanently. As if I ever would."
"So appreciative" commented Lupin, amused. "You are homeless, your pa's old friend offers you a roof and warm meals, you should be crying with joy."
"Oh, I am crying all right" said Harry with a sigh. "Rebuilding my house won't be cheap. Maybe I should really, and I mean really, double down in trading with muggles."
"Don't do that, kid" said Lupin, immediately. "Sirius was already grumbling that you were skirting the edges of the Statute of Secrecy. If you draw more muggle attention and any other auror notices, it's not Bones that will help you."
"I am pretty sure she would be happy to arrest me herself, true" nodded Harry. "I swear I have much more social success with kids, Remus. I don't know why anyone else seems to hate me lately."
"I can make you a list of reasons, Harry. Indexed" commented Lupin, scoffing with mirth. Harry glared at him and said nothing.
After a while, they had finished their dinner and made some tentative effort to clean up, before just moving everything on one side of the table. "Let Kreacher work, Remus" had commented Harry with a smile.
As Lupin was setting up their usual deck of cards to play together, a couple of strong knocks could be coming from the main door, freezing them both. They exchanged a glance and then Harry, stone faced, stood up and took out his wand. He couldn't do more than one step before Lupin's hand was on his shoulder, though.
"No" he stated, quite seriously. "I will open. You will stay here and get ready to flee if necessary."
"Kreacher will open, Remus. Neither of us is expendable" countered Harry, gently moving the hand off his shoulder. "I just want to check from the distance who it is."
Lupin remained silent for a while, before relaxing. "Wards are calm, anyway. Maybe we are just paranoid. Even if it's not the right hour for friendly visits…" Pushing Harry slightly away, he moved next to the hallway door, opened it and glanced outside; all with his wand in hand. In the distance, they could hear the house elf reach the main door and open it.
Not long after, Lupin relaxed and pocketed his wand once again. "Wait here a second, Harry. It's a friend" he said, as he walked out closing the door behind him.
"If you say so" commented evenly Harry. The short glance of the hallway he got was enough to see a brightly colored robe and a weird hat. Shrugging, he sat down and poured himself some juice.
Even after a couple minutes of waiting, Harry was still alone in the living room: apparently, the two men had a lot to catch up on that they didn't want to share with him. Nevertheless, after a while, the door opened once again and both Lupin and Dumbledore walked in.
"Please, headmaster, sit down" said Lupin, taking a chair for himself.
"Gladly" said the old man, copying him. Once down at the table he sent a pointed stare at Harry.
"And hello to you, too, Harry. I head about what happened last night, of course. I am glad to see you are unhurt."
"Thanks, sir. And welcome, of course. It was a pretty bad night" answered Harry.
"Could have been worse" added Lupin, with pride. "Harry here managed to help the Abbotts, headmaster. We keep telling you…"
"Telling him what?" asked Harry, now curious. "How much chatting goes on behind my back?"
"Only the right amount between former coworkers, Harry" countered Lupin, almost giggling.
"Yes, yes" said Dumbledore, interrupting them. "His willingness to help others is praiseworthy. Although I am not sure his… lack of caution should be encouraged further."
"I don't go in search of troubles, sir" said Harry, tiredly, before sighing. "But I guess I do owe you my gratitude, this time around. The wards you set up might have saved my life."
"Indeed" added Lupin, raising his half full glass in homage to Dumbledore. "Well done, sir."
"You are both welcome. In all honesty, I didn't expect such a brazen attack" said the headmaster, grimly. "I doubt anyone did."
"I thought you and the aurors were keeping a… ear to the ground, so to speak. Check if you-know-who's friends were gathering" said Lupin. "How could something like this happen without any forewarning?"
"Good question" said Dumbledore. "And it ties up with why I couldn't come to your help, Harry. Let's say I just had a long talk with professor Snape."
"He messed up? Straight up betray us, maybe? Call me shocked" said Harry, scoffing in amused disgust.
"He didn't, Harry" stated Dumbledore, immediately. "But he has been put in a difficult position, so he says. He had been asked by Mister Malfoy, very suddenly, to keep me busy for a night as a sign that he could still be trusted."
"And he simply obeyed?" asked Lupin, incredulously. "Sir, I know you trust him but…"
"Please let me finish, both of you" stated Dumbledore, with authority. Lupin, blushing a little and looking almost like another random Hogwarts student got caught misbehaving, lowered his head for a second and shut up.
"As I was saying" restarted Dumbledore "he had been asked that, but he refused initially. He demanded more information on the whos and whys he was supposed to do that. The answer he received was unclear. Either he was on their side and helped, or not. At best they could promise nothing was aimed at the school, its students or its faculty, me included."
"Seems very convenient… for him" added Harry, snidely. Lupin said nothing, but his expression too was unconvinced.
"I am summarizing, of course" countered Dumbledore. "A lot of hints and promises were interspersed within this request for help. He had to make a difficult decision, on the spot, and decided to save his position inside their group. He had full trust that, if you were the target, you could manage to overcome it."
At this Harry, after a couple of seconds of silence in the room, let a loud laugh escape. "No, that is just unbelievable. Either you are lying, or he did say it in the most insulting way possible."
"Harry, don't just… accuse the headmaster. Don't" said Remus, his expression troubled, as he switched his eyes between the two of them.
"I don't lie, young Potter" said Dumbledore, eyes narrowing. "If you insist then, yes, he might have said that between my wards and your lack of courage, you would have been able to escape before anything bad happened."
"A coward? Me?" complained Harry, offended.
"I shared only bits and pieces of your adventures with him, you know" spoke on Dumbledore, an irritating smile now on his face. "His opinion of you is a boy who abandoned his friends during your famous outing the first year, was kidnapped in his second year and spent the next twelve months holed up in his daddy's house shaking in fear. I am quoting, of course."
"With great displeasure, I can tell" commented softly Lupin, only to wilt under the headmaster's glare when his eyes turned around.
"Anyway, that was that. We spent last night together dealing with our preparations for the upcoming trials for the Triwizard tournament, in an environment where absolutely nothing could reach me" concluded Dumbledore, now relaxing on his chair. "Thank goodness nothing bad came from any of this. Now we can plan on."
"I am not so sure about the nothing bad part" said Harry, immediately. "And if Malfoy was involved, I know exactly who will pay the bill needed to rebuild my house, one day."
"Needless to say, nothing of what Severus shared with me can be told publicly" added the headmaster, almost snobbily.
"At least he regained his old friends' trust, right?" asked Lupin. "That means we can get some inside information from now on."
"Hopefully" answered Dumbledore. "So, horrible as they were, tonight's events were a good trade for us. As for your house…"
"What about it?" asked Harry, tiredly.
"Well, you need a new place to stay. That is the second reason I came here today, to hear directly from you what are your plans" answered Dumbledore.
"I… sort of hoped you would finally have him back at school, sir" added Lupin. The headmaster merely shook his head.
"I don't enjoy repeating myself endlessly, Remus. The only thing keeping Harry out of my quite safe castle is his own stubbornness."
"Thanks to Sirius Grimmauld's place will work, for a couple days" stated Harry, irritated. "After that, I will find another place. Or just straight out go into hiding for a while."
"Harry, are you sure about this?" asked Lupin, uncertain. "I am proud of what you did last night, but we should not tempt your luck. You need something better than just another place."
"What do you expect me to do? If I stay here, this house could be the next one being burned down… or I would be in the way between Sirius and his already traumatized girlfriend. And I refuse to exploit school children as meat shields" countered Harry.
"But you wouldn't be doing that. For all we know, they want to kidnap you, not hurt random students. Hogwarts, with its anti apparition wards, is by far the best choice. Sir?" concluded Lupin, looking at Dumbledore.
The old man simply smiled and shrugged. Lupin sighed, and turned again towards Harry.
"Harry, listen to me one second. Your safety is not something to be taken lightly. Also, if I understood everything correctly, your safety is also what prevents you-know-who from coming back for good. That's quite essential! If it is just pride keeping you out of the castle, do us all a favor and go back there."
At this, Harry remained silent for a second, perplexed. "As I said, I could still go into hiding" he continued, uncertain.
"For how long? Back in my days, death eaters went on with their act for years. Years! And if you disappear completely, wouldn't they simply switch target?" argued Lupin.
"That might be correct. They would either try to get to me or, once they realize they can't, maybe choose a minor target that was still a somehow worthy enemy of Riddle" said Dumbledore, deep in thoughts. "The list is not long but there are some people in the ministry that could fit the bill, so to speak."
"Bones herself, I imagine. Old aurors like Moody or Crouch, too" added Lupin.
"Oh, Moody is in Hogwarts at the moment. My neverending search for new Defense teachers. Besides, with the improved security required for our foreign guests, his presence is more than welcome" said Dumbledore.
"Right, the tournament. The castle is safer than ever right now, Harry. For real, why don't you want to shelter there for a while? Can you provide me at least one real reason?" insisted Lupin.
Harry tapped on the table, nervously. "Remus, you are asking me to pick between several bad choices. Hogwarts can't be the only solution."
"At least consider it, ok? Let's talk about this with Sirius, tomorrow" insisted Lupin. Harry sighed and said nothing.
"You are quite lucky your tutors care so much for you, Harry" said Dumbledore, evenly. "With how quick you are in pushing away those that do, their continued loyalty to you is noteworthy."
Harry frowned and sent a glare to the headmaster. "I don't push away people that care, sir. Only those that assume they can give me orders. Petty as it might be, that is one of the main reasons I am not cherishing the idea of going back to your school."
"We both know you hardly needs more education, Harry… except maybe in diplomacy and manners" commented Dumbledore, smiling tightly. "But I am sure you can survive writing some assignments for a little while longer."
Harry scoffed, but before he could say something in return he was stopped by Remus' hand on his arm. "Sir, you are not helping. Harry, take some time to think about going back for a while, ok? I am asking only for that."
"Sure, Remus, sure" caved in Harry, eventually. "Just let me be for now."
Lupin, satisfied, let his arm go. "I hope Sirius and I can count on your cooperation too, sir. Personal elements aside, we should do our best to ensure we all came out of this alive and well."
"On that, Remus, I most certainly agree" said Dumbledore, nodding. "I will say no more. I should also go back to my school, for now. Can I count on you remembering what I asked for?"
"Yes, sir, don't worry" said Lupin, as Harry watched on in some curiosity. Standing up, he waved at the door. "Let me escort you. Harry, please stay here once again."
"Goodnight" said Harry, quietly. Dumbledore nod his head and stood up, following Lupin.
The two men walked out of the living room, and once again Harry was left alone for far more than necessary to just exchange greetings. Sighing, he started shuffling the deck.
Once Remus was back, he acted nonchalantly. "Ok, Harry. Let's play some rounds of cards!" he said, cheerily. Harry just pointed at the table.
"Yeah, I agree with Remus, kid" said Sirius, while wolfing down his lunch. A suspiciously well made, and home made, lunch.
"Of course you do" said Harry, before showing a big smile. "So long as I am here, you can't invite your lady friend over."
"Now, that is one uncalled for accusation" countered Sirius, frowning. "Your safety comes first, by far. Having my privacy is just a small bonus."
"Really? That small?" asked Harry, while enjoying his own lunch – though with far more calm.
"It's not something you can understand, Harry" started Sirius, sniggering. "And by the way, if there is one thing you are missing out on living like a hermit, is your female classmates. You should be back at Hogwarts charming their robes off."
"To think I had to push you to give Anne a chance, and look at you now" commented Harry, shaking his head. "Ah, kids these days grow up so fast."
"Funny" said Sirius, unamused. "Don't try to change the subject, though. This was a full blown attack, and chances are it's not over. We all know you don't like Hogwarts, but this is more important."
"I like it plenty" said Harry, immediately. "I have lots of good memories tied to the place, and friends there nagging me to join them once again. I am just done with classes. And it would be a bit embarrassing to go back after making such a big issue of my expulsion."
"Does that really worry you?" said Sirius, finally finishing his meal and topping it out with a huge gulp from his glass of juice. "I am glad to see you being a boy here and there, Harry. Sure, sure, we don't want to have you appear less than awesome to your classmates, right?" he concluded, snorting.
"Oh, shut up" said Harry, immediately. "It is basic self dignity, nothing childish about it."
"Sure, sure. No one would ever think otherwise" added Sirius, trying and failing to hide his smile.
Harry remained silent, though, so Sirius eventually moved on. "Ok, let's be Sirious for a while. You have always been a proponent on doing what we have to and all that, right?"
"I guess" admitted Harry. "I am not sure how it relates to my situation."
"Well, you do need a new place to live. And you do need to be safe, so a certain madman doesn't come back to full life. If you have a better candidate shelter than Hogwarts, I am listening."
Harry, in deep thought, remained silent. After a while, Sirius spoke on.
"Nope, you can't avoid the problem any longer. And no, I won't tolerate you going into hiding or abroad. Skipping school was bad enough, but at least I saw you visit your school friends and keep some hobbies."
"I just really, really don't want to" he confessed, eventually.
"I can conjure some tiny violin and start playing it, if you need me to" quipped Sirius, immediately.
Harry glared at him, before rolling his eyes. "No, that wouldn't help, thank you."
"Let me help for real, then. I'll take you to Diagon's Alley this afternoon itself, no matter how much I want to sleep. And I do. Just to buy you school supplies. I can even add a broom, if you promise to finally try out for the teams" said Sirius.
"No chances for that, you know? This year Quidditch has been suspended. That Triwizard thing" said Harry.
"Oh, right. All those French girls! Harry, I would kill to get the chance to be a student this year" said Sirius, enthusiastically. "I swear, I am so jealous of you right now."
"You are not that believable anymore" countered Harry, smiling. "You have turned too much into a proper member of society."
"We all improve with time" said Sirius, his voice now turning serious. "Do the same, kid. Get over your pride and stay safe there. Me and my coworkers are risking our lives just to nip this thing in the bud, you can take some homework."
"I swear Riddle will pay for this" said Harry, eventually. "Metaphorically, I mean. The real tab will be placed on Malfoy's vault."
"Burning down your dad's house was a low blow, aye" agreed Sirius. "Someone will pay for that, I promise. But in due time. So, are we going to Diagon Alley?"
Harry sighed, and said nothing for a full half minute. Finally he shrugged and gave up. "No way out, eh? I can't believe it."
"You'll manage, Harry" said Sirius, standing up. "You always do. For now, let's have a blast shopping today. I might even throw in a glass of Firewhiskey, so long as you drink it slowly."
"Make it a whole bottle, pal. This is the perfect day to get drunk" said Harry, shaking his head and standing up himself.