Chapter One – The Trial of Hogwarts
For the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely happy. I had something that I never had before now. A family. I had just found out that my godfather, Sirius Black was, in truth; innocent. Whereas the culprit was Peter Pettigrew. He was bound in conjured metal chains, at the ankles, the wrists, and around his torso. Professor Lupin kept him at wand point, while Professor Snape slowly roused from his stupor. "Potter, I shall have you…" he drawled, before his voice came to a full stop as his eyes landed on Pettigrew. "I thought you were dead, Pettigrew. Not like I had reason to doubt it, you had always been the weakest out of the Marauders' at school. It seems that your animagus form fits well, you fucking rat." he spat at Pettigrew, drawing his wand and pointing it at the feeble man. "I shouldn't have let my emotions get the best of me, Mr. Black; for that I apologize, now, I'll escort you all to the castle." Slowly, we began to walk up towards the castle entrance, as the day started to fade away and night began to take hold. We were intercepted in the Grand Courtyard by a score of aurors. Sirius put his hands up slowly, clearly showing that he was not a threat. "Who is your leader?" Professor Snape called out demandingly.
"What does that matter, you traitorous, foul Death Eater?" one of the aurors responded. All wands were trained on us, which made me feel uneasy. I looked over at Professor Snape, who looked quite frustrated and annoyed.
"You stand here, pointing all your wands at us – while I'm trying to escort Peter Pettigrew – well and alive to justice. He was the true traitor of James and Lily Potter. Despite my hatred for Sirius Black, I will not have an innocent man unjustly punished." Professor Snape, Sirius and I gave him a thankful nod of our heads. "I demand to speak with your leader."
The auror who had been asking the questions nodded, and then barked out some commands. After a few moments, a gunshot-like noise filled the area, making me flinch slightly – as a short, athletic and stern looking woman appeared ten meters or so in front of us. "This is our leader, the Lady Amelia Bones – Regent of the House Bones, and Lady of Skullhold."
"Amelia…" I heard Sirius whisper softly. I looked over at my godfather curiously, but he seemed to be zoned out upon the arrival of the woman. "Oh God, Amelia… please have sense."
"Peter Pettigrew?" she asked, looking at the man bound in chains. "You have been suspected dead for nearly twelve years." her voice was filled with anguish, she sounded as though she didn't want to believe the scene before her. "I, Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement herein and henceforth declare the innocence of Sirius Black for the murder of Peter Pettigrew – proof provided is a very much alive Peter Pettigrew." she paused, before turning to Sirius Black. "Sirius, I truly never thought I would ever see you again; and now your back. I don't know what to think or truthfully, what to do."
"Well…" Sirius coughed. "You could probably start by getting me pardoned for a crime that I didn't commit or get charged for." he joked slightly. Making a slight frown cross Amelia's face, her eyes flashing with a quick shine of disappointment. "Listen, Ami – I didn't betray Lily and James – I would've died before betraying them and you know that. I swore a Godfather's oath to protect Harry, and I would've died if I had betrayed Lily and James. Please, Ami, please; order a pardon."
"As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, all I can grant you is safe conduct and remove the Dementor's Kiss warrant from your head. I will do so in a moment, however, for the few remaining charges; I'd have to arrest you and make you undergo trial for." Amelia Bones declared. "I, Amelia Bones, herein and henceforth rescind the Dementor's Kiss warrant upon Sirius Orion Black's person; and herein and henceforth grant him safe passage to attend trial." There was a brief pause before she gave the order to arrest Sirius, and take custody of Peter Pettigrew. Amelia Bones turned to me, apologizing for the trouble, and saying that the trial will be held the next morning in the Great Hall, with the students as the witnesses of the trial being held.
"Very well, will Sirius be allowed to call upon witnesses? If so, I would like to be a witness." I responded.
Ron spoke up, despite his voice being profoundly laced with pain. "I would like to testify on Sirius Black's behalf." Hermione would follow suit in quick succession, along with Remus Lupin and Severus Snape. Soon, we were dismissed by Amelia Bones; Remus and Severus escorted us back to the Gryffindor Common Room. I sat down on the couch nearest to the fire, as a world of wonder began to take hold. Come the morrow, my godfather will be declared innocent before the Wizarding World; and I'll finally have somewhere other than the Dursleys' to call home.
A little bit of time had passed, while we sat in silence, just staring into the flames. I spoke up, my voice soft and hoarse. "I can't believe that this is real." I said. "This is so unreal, it's something new to me; I've never felt this before. It's overwhelming."
I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder, comfortingly. I looked over, and it was Hermione; she was looking at me, with a warm smile, her chocolate brown eyes filled with happiness and joy. "I'm so happy for you, Harry; I mean it. You've never had a family, and now you do. I am truly happy for you. Ron and I just want to see you happy." she said comfortingly. I felt tears of happiness begin to take form, brimming at the edge of my eyes.
"I'm so happy right now, it's almost unnatural. I don't know what to do. It's like eating chocolate right after encountering a dementor, like I'm being filled with a sudden warmth that feels like it will last forever." I said dazedly, the happy tears I felt drizzling down my cheeks. I can't believe this is real, this is so unreal. I was thinking, over and over and over, in my head. I couldn't help but doubt it's reality, I can't even remember a time I've been this happy in my life. The room returned to silence, as Hermione withdrew her hand and went back to reading her massive book; and Ron continued to snore on his single chair by the fire.
Eventually, I dozed off into a light sleep. I dreamt of the future, staying with Sirius in a large house somewhere in rural England, or even anywhere in Europe. Allowed to practice magic, whenever I wanted to; or fly my broom whenever I wished to do so. Allowed to invite my friends over whenever I wished to have my friends over. Hosting parties, banquets, and the like; whenever I wished to and whatnot. It was a very enticing thought in my brain, and it filled me with such joy and excitement. I finally have a family to call my own. Suddenly, my dream was cut off by someone patting me on the shoulder, opening my eyes slowly; it was Ginny Weasley, she was saying my name softly. "Wakey wakey, Harry. Harry, wake up, Sirius will have his trial soon; you don't want to miss it." she teased, as I realized just how close her face was to mine. I felt my face turn red with embarrassment as I quickly stood up, gaining my balance; before turning to Ron. Walking over to him, I jostled him slightly before garnering his consciousness and getting him ready to go to the trial. Ginny got Hermione awake, as we turned to leave the Common Room, Seamus Finnegan burst into the dormitory.
"Have you all heard that Peter Pettigrew is still alive? Black's imprisonment was a farce after all! Pettigrew fooled the Wizarding World for twelve years, that must be embarrassing for the Ministry of Magic to admit." Seamus ranted, looking at Hermione, I just shook my head; chuckling slightly.
"Seamus, would you mind coming with us down to the Great Hall; it would be an honor to have you with us while Sirius is tried." I requested in a slight tone of command. He nodded his head, and began to follow us out of the dorm. I pushed the portrait wide open as we exited the dormitories and into the halls of Hogwarts. As we descended through the castle, I began to explain everything to Seamus. Everything from what happened at my Aunt and Uncle's house over summer, to what happened before getting onto the Knight Bus, and what happened on the Knight Bus. All the way till the present moment. "So, you're telling me that Sirius Black is your godfather, Harry?"
"Yes, that is exactly what it is. He was sworn by oath, and maybe even blood, to be my godfather. Sworn that he would not plot to do or do me any harm." I responded diligently. "Sirius is the one who gave me the Firebolt that I received over the Christmas holidays. Good thinking Hermione, I never truly thanked you for what you did; I was really upset. I hope you can forgive me for acting like a bloody prick for what happened."
"Long time forgiven and forgotten, Harry." Hermione replied in suit to my apology. "I know you would eventually come to your senses that your safety was more important than a broomstick." I nodded in response to her statement, which was true. I did value my well-being over a broomstick because a broom can be replaced, my life cannot. Just as we finished our conversation, we entered through the Great Hall's wide open doors. Inside we found pandemonium, students rushing to find their tables, which had been mounted on platforms surrounding the Great Hall. In the center of the Great Hall, was the judgment chamber, which consisted of the judges stand, and a singular chair in the center. The chair had shackles for the wrist and the ankles. At least the chair looked comfortable, I couldn't bear having Sirius sit in chains nevertheless, in chains and uncomfortable.
"Students, may we have your attention please. As the leading member of the Wizengamot, I shall sit in as judge on today's trial. Let it be known that should you testify on behalf or against the accused; I will not be partial due to affiliation. Bring in the accused." Dumbledore announced from the judges stand. Sirius was escorted under a guard of four aurors. I watched as he sat down in the chair, being bound in the chains. "Sirius Orion Black, you are accused of the following crimes – being a Death Eater, betraying James Potter, betraying Lily Potter, betraying Harry Potter, assisting in the death of James Potter, assisting in the death of Lily Potter, and assisting in the attempted murder of Harry Potter. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty to all accounts." Sirius announced loudly. Pandemonium broke out into the hall. I heard people surrounding me mutter comments that I truthfully didn't appreciate. I was about to confront those individuals when Dumbledore silenced the hall by eliciting a bang from his wand.
"Mr. Black, you may give your opening statement, make it loud and clear." Professor Dumbledore said commandingly. His eyes glinted with a hint of anger.
"Professor Dumbledore, you have known me since I was a mere boy, I was a student of your house; the odd one out of my family. I was exiled from my own home because I was a Gryffindor at sixteen, and James and his family were the only ones' who were willing to take me in. It was during the peak of the war when they did this, and without their generosity, I would've surely died. For that, I was forever in their debt and made a permanent bond with James. He wasn't just one of my friends anymore, he was my brother." he began. "When James and Lily wanted to get married, I was James' best man. Before you knew it, Lily had asked me to be the godfather for her baby boy. Who she named Harry. I swore the oath, vowing to never betray Harry, or Lily and James' trust." he paused. "When she told me that they wanted to go into hiding using the Fidelius charm because Voldemort marked Harry for death; they wanted to name me secret-keeper. I denied that honor, proposing a secondary option – Peter Pettigrew. I was the obvious choice, so I could play the role of a decoy; while Peter would hide in the shadows, overlooked. Little did I know that his animagus form, a rat, was fitting for him. He ratted out the Potters and following their deaths, I tried to chase him down to kill him. He caused the explosion, cut off his finger and transformed, escaping with his life. He had outsmarted me, and that is why I was laughing; he had finally 'beaten' someone better than he was." he explained.
"Do you have any testifiers to your innocence?" Professor Dumbledore questioned. Sirius nodded. "Please call them forward then."
"I call upon Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Professor Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. I wish to have them answer specific questions under Veritaserum." Sirius requested. I stood up and marched down with Ron and Hermione standing by my side. We went in order. An auror administered Professor Snape the veritaserum; and Dumbledore began to ask questions.
"To your outstanding knowledge and information, was Sirius Black at any time a Death Eater?" Professor Dumbledore was asked.
"Sirius Black was not a death-eater, nor an agent of Lord Voldemort at any time." Professor Snape answered in a monotone voice. The room burst out into pandemonium once again, and was silenced quickly with another burst from Dumbledore's wand.
"Was Peter Pettigrew, at any time, in the service of Lord Voldemort; as a death eater or an agent?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Peter Pettigrew had an initiation task, to act as an agent for him; upon telling Lord Voldemort the location of the Potters', he was branded with the Dark Mark – making him a Death Eater." Professor Snape revealed. Professor Dumbledore nodded, and an auror rendered the antidote. He was thanked for his testimony, and then dismissed.
"Fortunately, for the remaining witnesses; the former has provided enough evidence to clear Sirius Black of all charges." Professor Dumbledore announced. "On behalf of the Ministry of Magic, I, Albus Dumbledore, apologize for your unrighteous punishment and command compensation for the years you spent in Azkaban. The maximum that the Ministry can grant you is ten million galleons, which is what you shall receive. I, Albus Dumbledore, clear Sirius Orion Black of all charges. I, Albus Dumbledore, sentence Peter Pettigrew to life in Azkaban; specifically in the High Security cells for Animagi." Without a word, I could tell that we were dismissed; so I rushed over to Sirius, and despite him being chained up – I embraced him in a hug.
"Sirius, you're free! You're free, you're finally free! Now I don't have to live with my Aunt and Uncle!" I shouted excitedly – sounding like a child begging his parents to buy a chocolate bar at the store. I didn't care, I finally had what I wanted all my life. A family that cared, or someone close to family.
"Mr. Potter, if you could move out of the way so we can free him from his bindings." the auror requested. I reluctantly moved out of the aurors way, my eyes didn't leave Sirius's as he was unbound. He stood up and took his first steps as a free man.
"Harry…" he said, as I engulfed him in a bear hug. "I can't breathe, Harry." he gasped. I chuckled, grinning. After a moment, I lightened my grip on the hug, as Sirius wrapped his arms around me. The Great Hall had been vacated, breakfast was to be held in the Entrance Hall. I walked into the Entrance Hall with Sirius, to be greeted by the entire school chanting, "Black! Black! Black!"
I looked over at Sirius, who simply shrugged at me, giving a small smirk; looking over the crowd of students, I found the ominous red hair of the Weasley family, and slowly began to work our way through the crowd of people. Eventually, we made it all the way to where Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George, and Percy were sitting. Two seats had been left vacated in between Fred and George, which we filled in subsequently. "So where are we going to live, Sirius?" I asked softly.
"Well, I suppose I could ask the Goblins' to inspect the status of the Real Estate owned by the House Blackmarsh; to ascertain what would have the best living conditions. Along with getting you to ascertain your full heritage through a blood test, and receiving a report of your full inheritance. If no property is currently outfitted to house us; I will purchase us a nice residence." Sirius stated thoughtfully. "I know we had a Chateaux in southern France," he added. "but I haven't seen it since I was exiled from my branch of the family at age 16."
"What do you remember about it?" Hermione asked curiously. "My family is going to be traveling to southern France this holiday. Maybe we could stay at this Chateaux?" she asked.
"Of course, any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine; and shall be welcome at my table, and protected under my roof. The bread, salt, wine and the hospitality of the House Blackmarsh is yours." Sirius declared, in a serious tone that rivaled even Professor Snape's most dreaded tone of speech; only, this one was filled with warmth, not frost. Hermione nodded her head thankfully, as she spooned some breakfast beans onto her plate. "The Chateaux was situated right on the field next to the beach. Inside the gated area of the property, was a Quidditch pitch; full-sized. Additionally, a luxurious swimming pool with outdoor amenities, a spa, hot spring tub, and sauna. In the center of the chateaux was the gardens, where we housed vineyards and orchards. The Chateaux surrounded the garden completely, and within these vineyards and orchards were smaller pools and hot springs."
"Don't get me started on the library; from what I've gathered about you, Hermione, you would faint once you saw the library within the Chateaux." Sirius said with a warm smile. I could see that almost immediately after she registered what Sirius said, her eyes glazed over with wonder and imagination. "The bedrooms, foyers and living rooms are luxurious, and that is an understatement. They would put Hogwarts' furniture to shame." I couldn't help but begin to imagine the scale of this place, this must've been built at the peak of his family's power.
"Sirius, would you mind if I invited the entire Weasley family to stay over at the Chateaux for the entire summer?" I asked him, softly.
"Only if the Chateaux is still habitable, it could've gone into disrepair over the past twelve years; though I certainly hope that the House Elves have been maintaining it." Sirius explained.
"House Elves?!" Hermione exclaimed brashly. "Your family has been enslaving the use of these living beings to do work for you. That's cruel and unfair."
"Hermione, you're a brilliant witch; you really are. You just don't understand the full story. See, without a family or person to be bonded to; a House Elf will die. It gets its life and magic from the magic of a household or witch or wizard. Without a master, there can be no House Elves. The House Elves of the House Blackmarsh have always been treated kindly; except for the one my mother was bonded to. She treated him horribly." he explained kindly. She seemed to calm down, trying to internalize the new information she just received. "I hope you can now understand that I don't wish anyone to be mistreated."
"I'll ask Professor Dumbledore if I can go to Gringotts' this week with you, so we can get all we need done before the summer holidays." I said to Sirius, who nodded approvingly. I turned my attention to Hermione, and asked, "What are you and your parents doing in France, yet again?"
"Well, they decided it would be a nice break from their work as dentists; and they wanted to spend their anniversary in a place not as glum as the British Isles." she explained. "Most of the time, I'm the one insistent on us going elsewhere, but they won't budge." Well, at least you might get to stay with me over the summer, spending more time with my friends would be a nice holiday.
"I'm sure we can improve upon the Chateaux to create additional experiences to make the holiday more interesting; such as tennis courts and a golf course?" I proposed, directing the questions at Sirius. He nodded approvingly, which I smiled warmly, giving him a side hug.
"Harry, you know I'm truly happy for you." Ginny said shyly. "You finally have what you've desired the most, a family. I truly am happy for you that you have it." she added.
"Thank you Ginny, but you're a part of that; you and your brothers, along with Hermione – you're like family. We stand together, through thick and thin." I said affirmatively, but couldn't help but notice Ginny blush slightly. She still harbors that crush on me, that fantasy that I'm the Boy-Who-Lived and that I'm all powerful. I can't believe it. I thought, maybe it was because of the Chamber incident that she hasn't gotten over it or something. It was truthfully frightening, cause I don't know what she would do if I got with someone else in the future.
"We should create a Quidditch Summer League over the holiday." Ron proposed. "Since you have a full-sized Quidditch Pitch at the Chateaux, it could be a real money maker. Outside of the time that you want to reserve it for yourselves, you could host tournaments on the field. Allow people to register in the leagues for a cost, and such; and then let them play. We could have a youth league and an adult league." Sirius looked intrigued by the idea.
"I'll take the idea into consideration, it's a very good idea, I must admit; but I'd have to look into the legality of such actions, and the required licenses and permits to do so." Sirius replied, appeasing Ron but also taking the required precaution, so as to not get into trouble. Sirius began to look up and down the table, before I saw his eyes land on a particular person, that individual being – Neville Longbottom. "Who's that student, right there?" Sirius asked.
"That's Neville Longbottom." we all said in unison. "Why?" Sirius stood up, and strolled over to where Neville was sitting.
"Neville Longbottom is it?" Sirius asked, Neville nodded frightened. "Need not be afraid, child, I was friends with your parents. Good friends. What happened to them was a terrible crime, and for you to be raised without your parents; your kind loving parents, that must've been a horror for you." he comforted. "Your parents would be so proud of you, keep on working hard and do your best in all your classes." Neville lifted his chin a little higher, and puffed out his chest a little bit more.
I watched Sirius sit back down, he acted as though nothing had just happened. "That was a really kind thing you just did, Sirius." I said softly. "You just made his day – he will remember that for the rest of his life."
"What? Every word I said was true. Sometimes someone just needs someone to pick them back up after they've fallen; it seems like no one has done that for Neville. It seemed like he'd been beaten down, if anything else. So he acts like a scared little boy about everything; but no, that won't happen any longer, not so long as I am breathing." he said determined. When I started to think about it a little bit more, I realized that he was telling the truth. Whenever Neville got challenged, he would cower back like a dog; or whenever a very dominant and authoritative individual talked to him, he would submit to their will. An example of this was his behavior around Professor Snape, who constantly bullied him for his inability to perform in potions.
Slowly, we worked through breakfast, talking as we ate plate after plate of food. Once our bellies were satisfied, I hugged Sirius goodbye and watched as he exited the castle. Hermione pulled Ginny off to go to the library, for some reason – she never really explained; all she said was, "Girl Stuff." whatever that was. Final exams had already passed so I really didn't know what she would be doing with Ginny. I looked at Ron, who shrugged.
"Fancy a swim?" I asked Ron, who shrugged in return.
"What else is there to do now, aside from flying a broom?" Ron responded back. I couldn't really disagree with him, teachers stopped tutoring and classes; we had free days for the last week of term. On the way to our dorm, we talked about summer plans for the Chateaux; our schedule for training, flying, etcetera. Once we reached our dorm, we hurried to change into our swimming trunks. I made sure to wear a nice Gryffindor red and gold tank top as we walked out onto the Castle Grounds towards the Black Lake. "It appears everyone else had the same idea."
Ron's assessment of the situation seemed pretty accurate, the area surrounding the main beach and docks of the Black Lake were crowded with nearly a thousand students. Out of the near two thousand that attended the school, at least a half were either playing in the water or lounging on the beach. "Come on, Ron, let's get into the water." I said, I took off my shoes and tank top in a rush; before beginning to race Ron down to the beach. I saw Ron run onto the docks, and I saw a perfect opening, as I chased behind him. Slowly I gained ground on him, as I shoved him over the edge a little early. Plunging him into the cold water, before jumping in right after him. After resurfacing, I heard his groans of annoyance.
"How dare you, Harry! How well, I still won." Ron boasted. We began to tread water, and swam around, talking to many other students. Primarily to talk about Quidditch and the trial. Which did slightly annoy me that people were trying to get the rumor mill going; which I knew had the effect that could take place with the astounding reputation of the rumors delivered through Hogwarts's history.
After a few hours, I heard the bells ring signaling that lunch was going to be ready within an hour of time. "Come on, Ron, let's go find Ginny and Hermione; can't let them miss all the fun today. Plus, we might get to overhear them talk about some of their 'girl stuff' you never know what they could be talking about." I said as we waded out of the water. We walked over to our stuff, I dried off before putting back on my tank top and shoes. We trudged back up to the castle, once again discussing our valiant plans for the summer holiday.
Upon our arrival to the library, we thought about where they might be tucked away to discuss such private matters as 'girl stuff' in the library. Then, I remembered Hermione's favorite reading spot in the library. It was a little lounging area with couches that had pillows and it was near a fireplace and coffee table. I slowly began to walk over to that area of the library with Ron, signaling for him to stay quiet. Once we got there, I slowly heard Hermione's voice begin to come into my ears. At first, it was really quiet but as I got closer, it got louder and louder. "See, Ginny – you just need to be yourself, right now you're making a fool of yourself – no offense. Right now, you stand no chance with him. Maybe you need to take a break from focusing on one person; explore a little bit. That or just act like yourself." I heard Hermione say, and that got my mind working a little bit. Was that about me? No, it couldn't be. I thought. Ginny looked over at the bookshelves, and then as her eyes passed over me; I noticed her eyes grow wide.
"Harry? Is that you?" She asked confrontationally. "This was meant to be a private conversation."
"Don't worry, I just got here. We were wondering where you were, because lunch is going to start soon." I said through the shelf. "Didn't mean to interrupt or overhear anything from your talk." I apologized. We walked to the entrance to the little abode in which they remained, and we sat down with the two of them. Silence overtook the group for a moment before I spoke up. "What I did hear of the conversation was that you need to start acting like yourself, Ginny."
Ginny began to look flustered, but I cut in before she could speak up in her own defense. "Ron told me the first time I was at the Burrow; that normally you're super out-going, brave, fierce – everything that resembled a Gryffindor, but you put on a persona around me of being shy. Why is that?" I questioned. "Why do you hide who you really are?"
Ginny looked over at Hermione, who nodded affirmatively. Why did Ginny look over at Hermione for affirmation in something? I thought, but I knew they came to a common understanding about what Ginny should say in response to that. "From a young age, Harry, my mother read me stories about you; I knew they were false, but I couldn't help but be extraordinarily excited to meet you – then you happened to become friends with my brother. Making my chances of meeting you way higher, which made me extremely nervous. I never thought I would ever meet you, nevertheless get to know you. Truth is, I don't know what I want to come out of getting to know you; but what I do know is that I want you to be in my life – whether it be as a friend or even more than that. Time will tell, I guess." she explained. Finally, she finally expresses her intentions with me and why she was so nervous at first to spend time with me. "I'll try and act more like myself around you, but the feeling of getting to know you is still so surreal." I nodded affirmatively.
"I'll try and include you in more of the things that Ron, Hermione and I do so you can get more accustomed to hanging out with us." I said to Ginny comfortingly. She looked at me and gave me a thankful smile, which making her happy made me feel a sense of wonder. I wonder what will come out of getting to know Ginny; I don't even know what I want to come out of it. I thought, gathering my thoughts together, and then pushing them aside. "Why don't we play a game?"
"I don't see why not. It will fill the time between now and lunch; or even now and dinner – depends on what we want to do eating wise." Ginny said. Hermione nodded, and Ron shrugged in agreement. "What game though?"
"Truth or dare?" I proposed, Dudley and Piers had always talked about that game when I was in the cupboard; even brought over some lady friends to play it with them a few times.
"What's truth or dare?" Ginny asked, shocked. Hermione and I gave her a shell shocked look for a second, before giving a quick rundown of how the game works. "So basically someone asks someone if they want a challenge or a question. If they chose to get challenged, they have to do whatever it is. If they get a question, they have to answer it in full truth." I nodded confirming that is how the game worked. "Alright, let's play then."
"You go first, Ginny, since you're the youngest." I explained in addition. She looked upset about it, but she complied anyway.
"Truth or dare, Harry?" she asked me curiously. Oh God, what do I choose? A dare could lead to anything, but same with the truth. I thought about it and the least amount of harm could come from the truth.
"Truth." I said hesitantly.
"Have you ever fancied a girl in the past?" she asked boldly. I looked at her in shock, I never really looked at girls like that in primary school. Not that the girls in primary paid me any attention; I was a delinquent, or so my uncle tried to paint that image.
"No, not really; never really got any attention from girls outside of the Wizarding World – and outside of you two, I haven't really talked to girls inside my age group." I explained truthfully. Ginny nodded, accepting that answer. "Ginny, truth or dare?" I asked.
"Dare." She said, confidently. She thinks she has to prove who she really is. She doesn't need to do that. I thought, but then I began to think about a dare. A proper dare.
"I dare you to, when we go swimming, push someone off the docks into the Black Lake without warning." I said, "I will remember for when we go swimming later." she nodded, accepting that dare.
"Hermione, truth or dare." Ginny said to Hermione.
"Truth." Hermione said without hesitation.
"You lot are no fun." Ginny muttered. "Who is the boy that you fancy the most and why?" Hermione looked at Ginny pleadingly. "What, it's in the rules of the game. You have to answer it." she paused waiting for an answer but Hermione's eyes remained begging for a different question. "Ok fine, is there a boy that you fancy?"
"Yes, there is." Hermione said, relieved that the question was slightly less objective. "Truth or dare, Ronald?"
Ron looked startled that he had been asked a question, he obviously didn't expect to be demanded to be choose. "Dare." he said daringly.
"I dare you to go up to the girl that you fancy and kiss her." Hermione said challengingly. It's obvious who she likes… she likes Ron. I thought, it's obvious right?
"Ok, I will." Ron stood up, with a brazen look in his eyes and walked out of the abode. To much surprise, Hermione didn't appear heartbroken at all. My suspicions were wrong, I suppose. I thought to myself. Maybe she fancies someone else, like Cedric Diggory – couldn't be impossible. I added to myself. After a few more innocent rounds of truth or dare, we walked back to the Gryffindor dorms; while I waited for the two girls to change into their bikinis. They walked out of their dormitory's stairwell; wrapped in bathing robes, with slippers on their feet.
God, they both look fucking pretty in that. Why do most girls have to be so pretty in swim-wear? I thought to myself, before I started to kick myself inside for even having such a thought. I can't be thinking about friends like that, let alone my mate's little sister. I thought to myself sternly. We marched off to the Black Lake, laughing and joking along the way, discussing past times and funny experiences over the past school year. "You know, Harry, when you fell off your broom during that Quidditch match due to the dementors; Hermione never left your bedside – she had all her schoolwork delivered to her directly with instructions and notes in a pamphlet. I would've but I had too many exams to be studying for Professor Snape – I think he set that up on purpose." Ginny said informatively.
I looked over to Hermione, curiously. "Oh really now?" I said teasingly, raising an eyebrow at Hermione, who blushed. "Not leaving my bedside, how very caring of you. I'm glad to have such a caring friend."
"Well, I felt it's the least I could do considering how much time you spent by my bedside even though I was petrified." she responded embarrassed. You think that is going to excuse you from the absolute teasing bombardment I am going to give you over the next few years for it? Hell no. I thought deviously.
Upon arriving at the Black Lake, we rushed down to the docks and beach area, securing our spots on the beach using our things. Before walking out onto the docks, I was just about to jump in when I felt two hands on my back shove me forward. I crashed into the water as I held my breath and paddled quickly back up to the surface. As my hearing came back, I heard both Ginny and Hermione laughing hysterically. I swam over quickly to the ladder to the dock, rushing up the ladder. I snuck up behind them, and said, "Peek-a-boo." before pushing both of them off the dock into the water. Jumping in behind them, when we reached the surface I heard them shout, "Harryyyy!" while laughing aloud. While treading water, I began to splash Hermione with waves of water – but then Ginny began to attack me with absolute avalanches of water.
"Oof, Ginny!" I said, before splashing her with water. After the consequenting water-splashing fight, we began to laugh so much that we had to swim back to where we could sit in the water.
"Oi, Harry! Hermione! Ginny! Want to join the 'fight' club. It's basically a sparring club but in the lake. We got Madame Pomfrey to supply us with healing supplies." Seamus asked. "We also got a Professor to make sure no one gets harmed permanently. A completely friendly thing." I looked at Hermione, and then back at Ginny; Ginny nodded, followed quickly by Hermione agreeing.
Rushing over to join the group of people who were interested in the little fight club; it was a pretty even mix. 32 people were interested, and there were 17 boys to 15 girls. Dean Thomas, as the only muggle-born with competitive fighting club experience, was the tournament lead. He was giving out the matches.
"First round of fighting; Harry Potter versus Ronald Weasley. Second round of fighting; Hermione Granger versus Ginny Weasley. Third round of fighting; Draco Malfoy versus Theodore Nott. Fourth round of fighting; Cedric Diggory versus Seamus Finnegan. Fifth round of fighting; Cho Chang versus Lavender Brown. Sixth round of fighting; Parvati Patil versus Luna Lovegood…" Dean Thomas listed off ten more different matches, but I had to prepare for the first round, so what did I know about Ron? He's rather dull in the head, so if I'm quick on my feet and can get him into a trap, it's game over for Ron; that's all I need to do. I thought. We were set up a few feet away from each other, the water beneath us was about a quarter of a meter deep. "3… 2… 1… Fight!" Dean Thomas said.
I remained nimble on my feet, as Ron approached me, his fists raised high; I ducked forward and to the right, throwing a right hook as I went to avoid Ron's jab for my face. That wasn't enough to get Ron to back down, so I prepared for another attack. This time, I ducked under his kick; grabbing his leg and making him lose balance. "Yield! I yield!" Ron said quickly once he was flat on his back. "Going to need some work on that, I think."
Nodding in affirmation, chuckling. "Yeah, a little bit of work, but that comes with time; time will teach you." I learned with time being raised with the Dursleys' now with Ronald on the other hand, we may have to train him ourselves without actually hurting him.I thought, preparing a possible training regimen for him over the summer. I watched as the rest of the rounds occurred; focusing on who won and who lost. To my surprise, Ginny beat Hermione with an astounding move – she had tackled Hermione into the water and pinned her down using her knee. That scared me, because now I have to go up against Ginny in the next round.
"Now, for the first seed and fourth seed round; Harry Potter versus Ginny Weasley." Dean announced. I faced off with Ginny, as I suddenly felt a sense of hesitation – was I really going to hit a woman? Why did I agree to this? I thought, but suddenly the fight started. She started off with a combo of punches, which I ducked; she tried to pull the same she used on Hermione, but I used my hands to break the tackle. I then noticed her set up the base for a roundhouse kick; and I stepped back as she kicked – using my hands to grab her foot before making her fall backwards.
"Please yield, Ginny." I said, as I knelt beside her, restraining her arms. She began to wriggle uncontrollably. Eventually one of her hands broke free and caught me by surprise – she landed a fist to my jaw, as I felt my head fly to the side, I let go of her other hand. She quickly reversed the roles, but instead she straddled me and was starting to throw punches.
"Yield, Harry, yield!" she begged. "I don't want to hurt you." I don't want to hurt you either, and I showed you mercy but you took advantage of that. I hope you know this is just for friendly competition. Why I do what I am about to do. I thought. I slipped a punch through her guard as she lost control for a second; which I took advantage of. Getting on top of her, I started to punch her repeatedly until I felt her tap me twice.
"Harry wins after a well fought round." Dean said excitedly, as everyone went wild, I helped Ginny stand back up.
"I'm so sorry, you kind of left me with no other resort. Either I get kicked out of the tournament or I hit you." I said apologetically as I helped her walk to the healing station.
"I understand, H-Harry." she said, dazed. "You're bloody strong." Fuck I hit a woman and hurt her. No less Ginny, who's been through so much already. I thought, I cursed myself for doing so. All the same, the rest of the tournament I made it through just fine. In the final I was paired up against Draco Malfoy, who I made quick disposal of.
Eventually, after I went through the healing station for any remaining injuries on me, I went to the area where Ginny was hanging out alone. Most of the rest of the school had left to go get ready for dinner. "Hey, Ginny, I just feel so guilty for doing what I did back there."
"Don't feel guilty, Harry, I lost control of myself – and I hit you even though you gave me a way out of the fight. I only wish I didn't have to get hit to see that." Ginny said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. I saw her use her hand to wipe away the tears. Fuck I made her cry. I'm such a horrible person, just like Uncle Vernon said. I thought.
"No, it's my fault, Ginny; I shouldn't have hit you. I should've let you win, okay? I'm horrible, because once I started hitting you I didn't stop. I should've stopped after like two hits." I said softly, as I wrapped my arms around her softly embracing the younger redhead, who at this point had begun to sob. "It's going to be okay, it was a friendly competition, I didn't take anything personally."
"You mean it, Harry?" she sobbed. I nodded, and murmured affirmation into her ear. She wiped her tears away with her bathing rope, before wrapping it around her. I wrapped my arm around her, as we began to walk back to the castle.
"I mean it completely, Ginny." I said, as we walked back into the Entrance Hall, I let go of her. We walked into a restored Grand Hall, and came under pressure from the crowd of students. "OI! SHUT THE BLOODY FUCK UP!" I shouted to the hall. To my surprise, everyone went silent, everyone looking at me with surprise. "Bloody hell, as if this hall couldn't be any quieter than usual."
For dinner, I made sure that Ginny ate at least one plate for an appetizer, main course and dessert; before I started on eating myself. I started with a bit of Portuguese style meatballs and some fruit. For my main course, I ate some Shepherds pie; for dessert, I had some treacle tart with strawberry jam. Once I finished up with dinner, I walked with Ginny to the Gryffindor common room, and we talked about the future with each other. She wanted to become a professional Quidditch player. The only issue was that her brothers' and parents' were so protective of her that she had to sneak out of the house and break into the shed to take one of her brothers' brooms to learn to fly.
In reality, I respected her for that, and I would vouch for her to join the team next year. "Ginny, you're a really good person; you just need to show it to more people for you to shine. Who knows what will come of that?" I said truthfully. "Well, the hour grows late, Gin; I must be off to bed."
"Gin?" she asked curiously.
"Gin, short for Ginny." I said quickly, before rushing off to my dormitory.
"Alright then, Harry!" Ginny called out as I rushed away.
Once I got into my dormitory, I walked over to the showers; quickly undressing as I got into the large tub. The Hogwarts' baths worked differently compared to the ordinary bath. The hot water was from a fresh spring, and the spigots had three layers; one dispensing the hot spring water. The other dispensing a cleansing potion, and the other dispensing a flowery concoction. The smell of the flowers couldn't help but remind me of the cinnamon, flowery scent that Ginny wore. When did I start noticing which perfume Ginny wore? I thought. Just today, I guess, today was the closest I've ever been to her. It smelt good, I must admit.
God, am I starting to fancy my best mate's sister? I thought, starting to freak out a little bit. The moment I see the real her, I start to like her; the moment I see who she really is, I start to like her, because she is one of the types of girls that I fancy. I thought. Fierce, brave, courageous. I really have to think about this and who I like; what if I like multiple girls? What would I do then?
I need to go to bed, obviously I need to go to bed if I am thinking stuff like this. Getting out of the bath, I quickly dried off, before changing into my bedwear. I walked into the dorm room, and approached my four poster bed and fell asleep. Only to begin dreaming about two girls; one redhead and one brunette, those particular girls, I know very well.
P.S.
In this Harry Potter Universe, they still follow Christianity; my explanation for any polygamy that may or may not happen is that inside of the Bible it never expressly forbids polygamous couples, and it never really goes against it. Though I will be limiting his limit to two girls, as to not make it unrealistically overboard for him.
This will be an inheritance and feudalistic story, so if that isn't for you; click off this story and forget about it. If this does interest you, some kudos would be nice.