Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 28 – Year 2
After the party at the Weasleys another wave of nostalgia had washed up over Harry: being back at the Burrow, talking with his former in-laws, teasing Ginny a little – even in his own sarcastic way – all mixed together to make him feel more sentimental, and quiet at the same time. Harry started to spend more time outside of the house, just touring the neighborhood or reading in nearby parks, while he kept his relationship with his relatives at a low-hostility level not bothering to answer their occasional sarcastic remarks beside some occasional huff of resignation or despise when they seemed to be particularly nasty.
Days passed until it was almost august, and it was with a certain surprise on his part that he found himself confronted by uncle Vernon one evening, once he had come back home from his touring around.
"We need to talk, boy. Now" he said, with a hostility that he had not showed for some time.
"I am listening, uncle Vernon" said Harry, bypassing him and sitting down on the stairs.
His uncle seemed to get a bit more angry, maybe thinking Harry was being disrespectful; still, he pressed on:
"Listen well. In 10 days I will receive guests for dinner, a very important guest from work. This is business, boy, the same thing that allows me to buy the food that you eat" he said, stomping onward until he was looking down at him.
"And I am deeply grateful. So?" said Harry.
"DON'T YOU…!" started uncle Vernon, before snorting and refocusing again. "Keep your comments to yourself, boy. I decided you will not be present at the dinner, so you won't even have the chance to mess it up. Have I been clear!?"
"Yes" said curtly Harry. Since he had been warned at the Weasley party that his house mates had been sending him notes that he did not receive, he remembered what would happen this summer. With a bit of resignation, he had also understood eventually what would be the easiest, cheapest and unfortunately awkward way of avoiding the problem. "I'll find a place to host me for the night."
This left uncle Vernon temporarily surprised. "You... I decided you will stay in your room all night, boy, and that's it."
"Sounds really boring, uncle Vernon. I am sure eventually I would try to do something noisy" said Harry, now standing up. "That red haired kid from last time invited me to a sleepover, I could go there. Or you want me to stay?" said finally Harry, that on his feet was now on eye level with his uncle.
"I don't like your attitude, boy. Yet… I prefer not having to worry about your weirdness on top of everything. Go ahead, but I want you out in the evening of the 31, got it?" said a grumpy uncle Vernon, folding his arms.
"Sure, sure" said Harry, going back to his room. 'I guess it's destiny' he thought, sitting down at his desk and picking up a sheet of paper. 'I could just stay out somewhere, but…' he considered, even though what remained of his money, muggle or magical, after his trip to Normandy was not enough to carelessly waste more in accommodations and meals outside.
Besides, there was something drawing him there, at least for the coming weeks – if he remembered this year correctly everything could be stopped just by taking that damn diary and destroying it. No risky and useless search for "the heir", no kidnapping for Ginny, no brainwashing for Lockhart - "Not that it would be such a tragedy" murmured lightly Harry – all accomplished by picking up the diary before it could reach some unfit hands. It was worth it.
So, he started writing: "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley…."
"I am going. I'll see you next year, I guess" said Harry, dragging behind him his personal chest – Hedwig already having been set free hours before, with its cage abandoned in Harry's room.
"You know, you could answer me back" said Harry, the door already open, while looking at his relatives, especially aunt Petunia, being particularly busy setting the house up for the upcoming guests. Neither of the adults bothered even to stop what they were doing, but – surprising Harry a little – Dudley actually looked at him and waved his hand.
"Better than nothing" murmured Harry, who nodded at his cousin and walked out of the house. Desiring to avoid any awkward meeting he had asked the Weasleys to pick him up outside of the house in what would be the following ten minutes so, stopping next to the road, he waited.
He felt much more at ease compared to his "first" trip there, and at the same time frustrated. As if he was just accepting a role destiny wanted out of him – being nice to Ron and Ginny, foiling Voldemort's evil plans (he thought sarcastically), basically getting involved. And yet, he sighed, all this was sort of necessary – and he had nothing better to do, anyway. Slowly, he sat down on the chest and closed his eyes. Time passed.
"Sleeping, Harry? I hope not" said the friendly voice of an adult man. Turning his head and looking, Harry saw the standing figure of Mr. Weasley next to him. No car in sight.
"Hello sir. No driving this time around?"
"No. I have been working on it, lately…. Trying to add all those muggle concoctions you talked about. The radio, the rain wiper, and so on."
"Are they actually working?" asked, interested, Harry while standing up.
"Not yet, but i think I could replicate some of their effects. So, ready to go?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"I am, sir. What should I do?" answered Harry.
"Just grab my arm. Not to repeat what happened last time, but are you sure I should not greet your relatives?"
"Yes, sir. They truly don't like magic, and are quite busy anyway. They have guests tonight, a business dinner".
"Of course, of course. Muggle businesses… what does your uncle do, anyway?" asked Mr. Weasley, suddenly drawn into the conversation.
"He is a manager at a drill factory" said Harry, getting closer. Noticing Mr. Weasley's blank face, he added "He organizes the mass creation of tools used to make holes in walls".
"Holes? I wonder why. You'll have to tell me more about it later, Harry. For now, grab my arm" he said, getting closer to Harry.
Ten seconds after, they were both in front of the Burrow. No one was in sight and there were no more tables in the garden, quite a difference from the party he had attended – and yet, this way the weird house was even more similar to how he remembered it. Following Mr. Weasley and dragging his heavy chest with him, Harry stepped inside.
"Molly? We are back" he said, immediately greeted by his wife. Soon after, Mrs. Weasley's attention focused on Harry.
"Welcome back! I am so glad you decided to accept our offer, Harry dear. I promise you will find yourself at home, the coming weeks" she said with a big smile, welcoming him into the kitchen and towards a chair. "Here, Harry, sit and take some tea."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I really appreciate your invite" said Harry, sitting down and sipping from the cup in front of him.
"Molly is enough" said cheerily Mrs. Weasley, who started to ask him about various stuff, either about his family life or his upcoming school year. Answering, Harry was looking around himself – and noticing the lack of all the kids. Or, how Mr. Weasley seemed about to go out of the house again.
"Oh, Arthur, are you going already?" asked sadly Mrs. Weasley to her husband.
"Yes, Molly… I might even be a bit late" he answered, picking up his coat.
"You work at the ministry, right, sir?" asked Harry from his corner of the table.
"Yes, yes" he said, unfocused, before turning and looking at Harry with a weird expression.
Harry just smiled "I am sure we can talk later, sir. Don't wait because of me" he said, raising his hand in a greeting. Mr. Weasley smiled, waved at his wife and left.
"Poor dear, always busy" said sadly Mrs. Weasley, who then started cleaning the tea set. Harry smiled again, but said nothing – and once his tea was over, stood up.
"I'll go place my stuff in… Ron's room, I imagine. Is he upstairs?"
"Oh, no, Harry, all my boys are outside with their brooms… who knows where, by the way" she added, a little frustrated. "Ginny is still here though, in case you want to talk to someone" she added, too, with a huge smile. 'Mmmhh' thought suspicious Harry, who still said nothing.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. Later" said Harry, shrugging and picking up his chest – before giving up and simply casting Locomotor on it. Lightly kicking the chest towards the stairs, he finally picked it up and climbed them. Once he reached the third floor he recognized Ron's door and opened it, only to hear someone else climbing the stairs. No one was in sight, though.
Shrugging, he went in and started to place his stuff around what seemed to be a spare bed inside the room. 'Nothing changed' thought Harry, noticing the omnipresent posters of the Chudley Cannons, which were almost covering the entire walls. Peter the rat was sleeping inside his cage, but Harry barely had time to send him an hostile stare when he heard some knocking. Immediately, the door itself opened and Ginny stepped in, a paper-wrapped box in her hands.
"…hi" she started, unsure. "Can I come in?" she finally asked, stepping inside once Harry nodded at her.
"Ehm… hi. Yes. This is for you. Happy birthday!" she said, blushing a lot and offering him the box.
This surprised Harry a little. He had not forgotten what day it was, of course, but he was reasonably sure the Weasleys didn't know of it. They certainly did not celebrate his birthday "last time", for what he could remember. Still, it was no big deal.
"Thank you" said Harry, picking up the box. "I wonder what it is. Sit down" he ordered the little girl, nodding at Ron's bed, while sitting down himself on his own.
The box was slightly heavy, and rumbling with every move – obviously filled with something. The paper covering it had some wrinkles and a green-red tone, and seemed suspiciously like it was taken and re-used from an old Christmas present. Still, the present itself it was perfectly wrapped – so much so that Harry doubted such a young girl could do it.
"Did your mom help you with this?" he asked, while carefully unwrapping it, and making sure not to rip anything.
"Well…. Ok, she wrapped it. I tried, but it was horrible!" she whined. "But I swear what is inside I did it all by myself".
Harry smiled at the declaration, and finally opened the box. Inside, cookies – glassed in 4 four different colors. Focusing, Harry could (barely) identify the four animals of the houses of Hogwarts. 'Well, she certainly glassed these alone' he though. Picking one up, he bit at it.
"It's good!" he said. And it was even true. With his free hand, he offered the box back to Ginny. "Here".
"Oh, I tried them already" she said, still picking one up "Mom's recipe, of course".
"Of course. Thanks" Harry said, eating one more. "Does she know also why you baked them?"
"No. She kept making fun of me! But… I sort of wanted to organize a full party, but I thought you might not like it" she said, now nervous.
"I seem that gloomy, eh?" asked Harry, but in a teasing tone. Ginny just giggled in a childish way, and picked up another cookie.
In its corner, meanwhile, Hedwig hooted happily inside its cage.
It wasn't long that Ron, along with the twins if one had to judge from the noise, was back; just in time to arrive, shoo his sister away from the room, and start teasing him about 'his number one fan'. Harry didn't bother to answer and, instead, simply offered him some of the Gryffindor cookies and made small talk. The redhead was as friendly and half-rude as usual, yet Harry didn't mind it particularly. Happily or not he was there, so he might as well just try to enjoy his time.
The rest of the evening, or dinner after that, was quite normal. The Weasley children complained a little about their father's absence, who – according to Mrs Weasley - was away for important work businesses "That you don't need to know the details of" she added at their questions. After dinner, while Mrs Weasley was charming the dishes and cutlery to clean them, Harry asked for permission to walk around the yard for a while. Mrs Weasley granted it immediately "Of course dear, just don't walk out of the wards" but he had not made more than three steps out of the house that the door opened again.
"Wait Harry, I am coming too" said Ron behind him.
"I was just going to wander around, Ron. Nothing really exciting" said Harry, trying to remain toneless.
"There is nothing exciting inside, either" shrugged Ron, catching up with him. Harry was about to say something more, but gave up. 'What changes, after all? Any other Weasley, maybe, but Ron…' thought casually Harry, before starting to look around himself and, once identified what seemed the border of the house's garden, starting to walk towards it.
"So, why did you come here, anyway?" said Ron.
"I needed a place to stay for tonight, and your parents insisted I stay longer. I accepted. Nice of them, by the way" answered Harry, still focused to the dark countryside in front of him.
"Mom and dad are really weird towards you, Harry. Maybe because you are famous?"
"Maybe. They don't seem like that, though."
"I wish they warned me. Are you sure you don't know why they invited you?" said dryly Ron, before hastily adding "Again, not that I mind it".
Harry gave him a quick look, wondering how much he should say. 'Nothing, I guess' he thought before speaking. "No idea, really. It's quite weird for me, too."
"If you are sure" said Ron, unconvinced. "Well, at least we can play Quidditch together. Without Percy, it is usually Fred and George against me" he said, sulking a little.
"Together we can kick their asses, I promise. And then rub it in their faces" said Harry, laughing softly.
"Nice" said Ron, finally smiling, before looking around himself and getting worried.
"Harry, maybe we should go back? I can barely see the house now, and… what are you doing?" asked Ron, as Harry picked up his wand and started murmuring. Before he said anything else, though, Harry had placed it back.
"We are still inside your house's wards, it's ok. I wanted to circle them, nothing more" said Harry, that once turned towards Ron noticed that he looked a little scared. "Go back home, Ron. I'll follow soon anyway".
"You are weird" answered Ron. "You know that, right?"
"My fame got to my head, I am sure. If you are staying, come on" said Harry, nodding at him and restarting to walk. While the Burrow was still in sight – and remaining constantly on their side – Harry and Ron had to focus on the ground now, as not to stumble over some bush or root.
After a while, Ron spoke again "Harry, this is boring. And creepy. Let's go back."
"I'll stay here a couple minutes more, Ron. Start up, I am coming."
Ron seemed ready to say more, but finally just scrolled his head.
"Whatever, mate. I don't care. See you later" and, with a wave of his hand, he started walking back.
He didn't walk for long, though, as a voice called high behind them "Harry Potter!". Ron, startled, turned around and asked in a nervous voice "Who said…. What are you?!"
Harry, instead, while remaining expressionless and turning slowly, felt tired and resigned. 'Perfect timing, elf, really' he thought. Behind him, he was not surprised to see the now overjoyed face of Dobby.