CHAPTER: 3 A DIFFICULT DECISION TO MAKE
Three more years had passed since that birthday, three years during which Harry had ample time to get to know Daphne better, and vice versa. Their relationship had evolved a lot, from simple friends to close friends, and then to best friends. The couple's status was still a milestone, but they had all the time in the world; they were only eight and six years old, after all. The very concept of husband and wife was foreign to them; he just knew that later they would be brought to live together as their parents. It was above all Daphne who was the principal initiator in this, following daily courses of propriety from her mother to make her a good wife and a good mistress of the house.
The relationship between the Greengrass and the Potter had evolved in the same way, although James was not involved. Lily, who had at first been furious to learn that her husband had dared to enroll her son in a process as medieval as a marriage contract, however, took the time to get to know better those who would later become Harry's beautiful family. A very friendly relationship eventually formed, especially as the Greengrass turned out to be quite charming people. The announcement of the engagement between their eldest daughter and Harry also had the merit of putting an end to all the accusations made against them, although they went unnoticed by a very large majority of the magical population.
"Matthew's popularity is still good sometimes," Lily had once told her two other children, looking through the article mentioning the stop of complaints against Greengrass.
Everyone could thus benefit from the positive effects of this contract without worrying about possible problems: Lily had made a very good friend and confidante in Eleonore Greengrass, Harry a fiancée, and Rosalyn a playmate in the person of Astoria. The only shadow on the board, of course, was James and Matthew. If the Greengrass invested heavily in the education of their daughter, it was quite different for Harry's father. Daphne's future husband should have seen everything about his role with James and also his professional obligations for his future adult life, but his father was totally disinterested in him and left him in the meanders of utter ignorance. His mother was trying as well not to instill in him the values to know for his future role, but having been raised by a Muggle family and peasant above the market, a lot of things escaped him.
His grandfather could have taken this task to heart; the latter loved his grandson enormously, but unfortunately for Harry, his grandparents tragically disappeared in an accident during a coach ride in gloomy weather. The horses suddenly became afraid, the carriage was thrown into a ravine, resulting in the almost instantaneous death of Charlus and Dorea Potter, who had not had the opportunity to transplant.
"It is strange to say the least when we know that Charlus and Dorea were very careful people. They would certainly not have set up an anti-apparition spell while they were about to cross a region at altitude," confessed their beautiful daughter to the aurors charged with this sad affair.
The shock was total among the Potters, especially for Harry, who lost two of the only people paying attention to him. The mourning lasted several weeks, and the newspapers did not fail to broadcast during this time long praises to the glory of the grandparents of the grandson prodigy that was Matthew. Each day passed with new articles offering condolences to this bruised family, as well as the support of illustrious unknowns and vague acquaintances. The funeral itself was crowded, but almost all the people who came were there only to see how the boy-who-lived reacted to this terrible drama. Celebrity could have its share of absurdity sometimes. Finally, at the end of the ceremony, the Potters were summoned by Griphook, the goblin in charge of their vaults within the Gringotts bank, to hear the latest complaints of Charlus Potter concerning his movable and financial assets.
James was obviously shocked during the long reading that followed the recommendations of his parents but quickly fell apart when he discovered the will they had left for the rest of the family. Their son had obviously inherited a small fortune allowing him to provide for a long time, as did Lily and the rest of the children. Matthew was also furious when he discovered that the two million Galleons left for him as an inheritance would only be accessible to him when he reached his majority. But the blow came when the Gringotts goblin reading the will set forth the main bequest of Charlus Potter. To their surprise, Harry was named his heir and would obtain not only the title of Lord Potter under the nose and beard of his father but also the property rights to the Potter vaults and the properties they owned across Europe. Charlus evidently regarded his son as incapable of looking after the fortunes of their family and had bequeathed this task to his grandson whom he trusted entirely. The pill was hard for James to swallow.
"- This kid... heir to our family fortune!? You're joking, I hope, master goblin!" he had said, believing it to be a bad joke.
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Potter. And believe me, goblins are not known to be people who are likely to joke."
"But finally, it's impossible! And when is it from me?! Is it not inscribed somewhere that I am entitled to claim this title and our fortune!? Are you sure this is my parents' will!?"
"I can assure you that the document I hold in my hands is all that is most authentic, Mr. Potter. I would also like you to stop questioning my word in the future; I do not appreciate that in the least. Now, if you don't mind, I'll continue reading the recommendations of the late Lord Potter."
Harry thought his last hour was coming that day, so deeply shocked by his father's icy eyes. James did his best to keep his countenance in front of the goblin, but once he returned to the mansion, Harry suffered a veritable outburst of fury from his father. That day, he had not even bothered to wait to be alone with him to take care of him and had brutalized him in front of Lily's eyes. It was she, once the shock passed, who ended Harry's ordeal by hurling a curse at James. Matthew was also shocked that day, but not for the same reasons. The behavior of his mother had scandalized him, while the vision of Harry suddenly had amused him on the contrary. He began to revile his own mother for doing such a thing to his beloved father and received in return only a scathing slap after having heartily insulted Lily with "Mud-blood."
Since that evening, the atmosphere at home had become heavy and shady. James still couldn't believe that his wife had dared to attack him in this way and especially that she had the nerve to slap their son. He did not even sermonize Matthew for the insults he had dared to tell his mother. Lily too was furious with him, especially when he called Dumbledore to come and reprimand his wife for her behavior. She felt humiliated that day, and Dumbledore's remonstrances made her feel like she was mistaken for a little girl under ten. She nevertheless accepted without flinching the reproaches of the old man, and her allusions to the fact that she did not put as much motivation as James to brood her younger son with love. But the damage was done, and the towel was now burning between Harry's parents, a tea towel that has never died since. The sequence of events was even more painful, especially for Harry.
The next day, Dumbledore, who was the chief warlock of the Wizengamot, an assembly voting among other things on new laws and condemning criminals, had exceeded Charlus' last wishes and canceled his last recommendations.
"In view of the latest medical results carried out on Lord Charlus Potter and his wife shortly before their death, I can say before the court that Lord Potter suffered during the last years of his life from mental disorders and an inability to reason correctly. His poor health seems to have played a role in the writing of his will, Me, Albus Perceval Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, chief warlock of the Wizengamot, supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of wizards, Order of Merlin, first class and Enchanting-in-Chief, break and annul the last will of Charlus Potter, Lord of the old and noble House Potter."
These results were obviously false, undoubtedly falsified by acquaintances working at the wizard hospital St. Mungo's, but no one doubted the word of the illustrious Dumbledore. In truth, if the old man preferred not to see Harry become the next Lord Potter, it was because he thought he would give this title to his little brother, and thus increase his grip on him even more. Matthew would see only one umpteenth gift from him without suspecting that his move was well calculated. As a result, the boy-who-lived would be entirely acquired from him and thus allow him to work for him in the creation of his political ideals. What could be better than having the national hero by his side? For now, Matthew was not much use to him, but who knows? Perhaps later, his influence will allow him to expand his personal ambitions. His pawn would undoubtedly be useful in any case.
However, after a long deliberation, James was declared an acting Lord Potter, waiting for his younger son to reach his majority. Charlus must have turned in his grave. Harry had really been mad at Dumbledore since that day, not that being stripped of the title of Lord Potter was toiling him badly, but the mere act of ignoring his grandfather's last wishes made him deeply angry with the old man.
The only clarification on the board was sometime later, during a dueling world championship where Dumbledore put his title back in play. Many bets saw him win for the twentieth time in a row this trophy, but to the general surprise, his title of champion was wrested from him at the end of an epic duel against a talented French witch. Harry had never seen her, but this woman, in addition to her incredible beauty, gave off an aura of power such that he shuddered at once just by approaching her. He never knew her name, except the fact that she was of high nobility and as a bonus titled princess, but he did not seek to know more: Dumbledore's discomfited mine was worth all the treasures of the world combined.
"Come on, Mr. Headmaster, you will do better next time! This contest should not be open to women anyway; otherwise, you would have won," James said in a pale attempt to comfort him.
"James, don't be so narrow-minded. Women deserve to have as many rights as we do."
Coming from a man considering Lily Potter to be useful only for giving love to his younger son and keeping quiet the rest of the time, this phrase sounded especially wrong when it came out of her mouth. But it was necessary to make a good face in front of the journalists present during the tournament and make them believe that he was a fervent defender of women's rights. Dumbledore won in Harry's eyes the palm of the most beautiful hypocrite that day, reinforced impression when he gave the cup in hand to the winner by smiling at him while trying to break the phalanges during their handshake. But the French woman had contented herself with smiling at him in return and letting go aloud of a comment that had the gift of irritating the old wizard for weeks:
"I had, however, heard that you were a great duelist, but it seems that all these fables about your talents in this noble art were finally only narratives. I am very sad for you that age makes you lose your skills in this field and especially disappointed to discover that there was no strong competition in the end in this tournament that can stand up to me."
Even with his rare knowledge of the language, Harry had to admit that he had understood almost nothing of what she had been able to tell him. However, Dumbledore had to appeal to all his knowledge in Occlumency not to reveal to his former opponent all the fury that emanated from him. The Frenchwoman had to feel it nevertheless because she took leave of him without departing from her smile and proposed to him before leaving some retirement homes in her country which would bring him joy to visit. This day was a beautiful memory for Harry and Rosalyn, who laughed happily just at its recollection. Dumbledore humiliated; you didn't see that every day.
Thinking about this, Harry finished writing yet another letter to Daphne. The crumpled papers were already littering the floor of his room as he vainly tried to convey even the smallest anecdote. But even if he had wracked his brain, he had nothing interesting to tell her since their last meeting the day before. Chewing the tip of his pen, he looked at his room distractedly in search of something to share. The blue tapestry, its varnished wooden furniture, and its few toys were not of much help, nor was his impressive collection of personal books that spanned several shelves on the wall to the left of the front door.
"Merlin, how do people hold such long conversations with their interlocutors, even when they have nothing to tell?" he said to himself, sighing.
"What are you doing?" Turning his head sharply towards the entrance of his room, he could see his little sister in the doorway playing distractedly with a lock of her long auburn hair. Rosalyn was now more than four years old and looked a lot like Lily, a rather striking contrast to Harry who looked more and more like James, to his greatest dismay. The only thing that tied her to their father was her chocolate eyes and the glasses she wore, but nothing brought them closer to him. In the end, only Matthew had inherited James' character, and it was for the better. "Rosie," as Harry nicknamed her, was very close to his older brother and spent most of her time in his company, strolling in the garden to have fun together or in the library reading books for hours. It was Harry who had taught her to read, realizing her advanced intellectual abilities at an age when Matthew preferred to fly on his broom at the risk of breaking his bones by falling. Speaking of him, Harry had the immense joy of discovering that while his sister was already beginning to differentiate letters and write sentences on parchment sheets, he, their brother, was still unable to do so. His training to become the best wizard of all time had left deep gaps in his education. His spells were not very powerful and most often missed, but James did not seem to notice and constantly congratulated him by offering new gifts; the Potter fortune would disappear like snow in the sun. Even the donations given to Matthew to thank him for having rid Great Britain of its most terrible dark lord would not be able to compensate eternally for the financial differences that James allowed himself. But for now, his father's future financial worries were the least of his concerns, he thought, and a quick glance at his little sister confirmed to him that he had once again wandered into derisory subjects by failing to answer her question.
"Nothing, I was just writing a letter to Daphne," he said, taking up his work. "And you, didn't you have to help Mom make cakes to distribute to the needy?"
"She told me that she no longer needed me and that she could take care of the cooking alone," she growled as if it bothered her. "So you're writing another letter to Daphne? You saw her yesterday," she said as she approached the desk. "What can you tell her again in just one day?"
"It's private, Rosie. People do not read their letters to people who are not concerned with them."
"Oh, please, I want to know! I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Astoria!"
"Have you ever been told that curiosity is a bad personality trait?" Harry asked her with amusement.
"Mom already told me, but it was because I wanted to know the meal that we were going to eat for my birthday! But this is much more interesting!"
"Well, when you have a lover, you will let me read your letters, and I will let you read mine."
"It may not be long," sighed Rosalyn sadly while going to sit on her brother's bed. "Dad would be able to give me a lover, no matter who, as long as he gets something good for him in return."
Harry could only sadly acquiesce, seeing the unenviable fate of his little sister. James almost saw in her only a girl to give in engagement to the first comer, as long as he was wealthy and would draw a large sum of money from it. Rosie was just a piece of meat to sell for him.
"Can you imagine if he makes you marry Draco Malfoy?" he inquired, repressing a sneer.
"Yuck! I still prefer to marry Ronald Weasley, even though he's a jerk of the same temper as Matthew."
"Who looks like himself assembles, as they say," Harry sighed.
"This may be why you spend your time together, between unwanted people." For the second time of the day, a second person invited himself into his room, but unlike Rosie, she was not in the least welcome. Matthew's slightly enveloped figure was drawn in the hallway, right in front of the bedroom door. Her little brother was currently watching them from above and smiled at them maliciously while entering without asking permission into the room. One unusual thing about Matthew was that he always had to be asked if he could enter the same room as him, a permission that he usually imposed on children his age or younger in a pale imitation of a despot. But he, however, did not hesitate to go snooping in the corners of the manor being forbidden to him, seeing worse, in the people with whom he was invited, a bad habit that had the gift of making Lily blush with shame. He and Harry hated each other, and yet, the elder brother had tried to be kind to him in the first few years. But Matthew, seeing the control he had over his father, openly took advantage of it and made him swallow anything. Thus, it was not uncommon for Harry's little brother to get hurt voluntarily to make him accuse, and to take the moment after a pair of slaps.
This is why Harry spent most of his time in rooms where Matthew was unlikely to set foot, and especially as far away as possible from him. The few times they would meet during the day were during meals, and when they did, the youngest delighted in ridiculing his elder, occasionally kicking him under the table. Also, the presence of his brother seemed suspicious, especially since his small steps, almost dancing, and his sly smile conveyed nothing worthwhile.
"What do you want?" Harry spat at him as Rosalyn had already risen from the bed to stand next to him.
"Oh, nothing, I was just walking around, that's all," Matthew answered in a cheerful voice. "In truth, I was going to go back to my room to paint my magic broom with the cleaning kit that Sirius offered me without worrying about you, as usual. Besides, I want to say that the gifts of my dear godfather are really practical; too bad you cannot say the same. Who would give you a broom anyway?"
"I would if I had enough money," Rosie replied, frowning. "You, on the other hand, I wouldn't even offer you a broom twig!"
Where some people might have been hurt by the cold and unsympathetic tone of their little sister, Matthew was in no way distressed and preferred to boldly mock them.
"It's good since I don't want to receive anything from you; I would be almost offended."
"Get out of here," Harry ordered him, feeling the future dispute that he dreaded so much coming.
"I wouldn't have even come to this room if I hadn't heard the vexing remarks you made against me. It's very mean, you know? What would Dad think if I told him everything I just heard?"
"As usual, he would take your side and come and give me a correction," said his brother in a frigid voice. "To believe that the savior of the magical world is not able to defend himself alone. Are you a coward, Matt?"
"I defeated the greatest dark lord of all time! You can doubt my abilities when you've done as much!" fumed Matthew, turning bright red.
"The hero of humanity who can't even use magic without a wand," mocked Rosie, sneering in turn. "Is it not demeaning to be weaker than his elder brother in this branch of magic?"
"Foolish things! You can't even use the levitation spell, unlike me!"
"Because you have a wand, but I don't need it."
To prove his words, Harry pointed his index finger at the candle holder on his bedside table and performed the gestures normally required with a magic wand while pronouncing the spell, "Wingardium Leviosa." The object immediately began to float in the air, and Harry even guided it toward him, using his other fingers to move it forward under the shocked and furious eyes of his little brother.
"I think I'm going to sparkle when I enter Hogwarts," proudly decreed Harry, smiling snidely at Matthew. "The last user of magic without a wand is none other than Dumbledore, and still, he does not know how to use it properly."
"They will never take you there! You're just a failure!" Matthew left the room with furious steps.
"Don't forget to close the door when you go out; you'll be an angel!" Rosie mockingly called after him before sighing with a weary air. "Matthew is worse than Malfoy."
"Draco has at least the merit of being smart and clever. The same cannot be said about Matthew."
Both laughed heartily before resuming their usual activities — one writing a letter and the other reading a book found under Harry's bed. The minutes passed quietly in a very relaxing silence. Nothing seemed to be able to disturb this moment of tranquility, nothing except maybe…
BAM.
Harry inwardly groaned for forgetting that for Matthew, humiliation was hard to swallow, and that generally, the fallout could be terrible. A quick glance at her sister confirmed to him that she too knew full well that the broken object that could have been heard on the ground floor could not be a coincidence. Both of them just hoped it wasn't important. However, James' voice proved them wrong quickly:
"WHO DID THAT? NO, BUT IT'S NOT TRUE! A UNIQUE RELIC FROM THE MING ERA! A VASE IN OUR FAMILY SINCE SEVERAL GENERATIONS!"
Aie aie aie, they may have been a little loud just now, nervously muttered Harry. Rosie, hide under the bed!
"What!? Why!?"
"Do what I tell you! If he ever finds you here, he might just go after you!"
"I am not afraid!" his little sister replied in a trembling voice. "And I'm as responsible as you are for this situation!"
"Do not argue! Go!"
Harry had to fight for a few long seconds with his sister before finally managing to slide her under his bed, well-sheltered. Just five seconds later, his father came into the room, Matthew on his heels. The expression on James' face did not bode well for him.
"You're the one who destroyed the Ming vase in the living room!"
It was not in the least a question, as Harry quickly understood by seeing James go around the bed to stand in front of him, his hand already on his belt.
"I didn't destroy anything at all," replied Harry politely, trying to look as innocent as possible. "I have been in my room since just now, writing a letter to Daphne."
"Don't lie to me!" James screamed as he grabbed him by the collar. "Your brother caught you running down the stairs a few seconds later. You dare to lie to me and question Matthew's word!?"
Without further ado, James threw him violently on the bed and turned him on his stomach, his face facing towards the entrance of the room. While trying to struggle to keep James from taking off his shirt and leaving his back bare, Harry could see from the corner of his eye his little brother proudly looking at the result of his lie, while their father was already undoing the belt of his pants to administer to his eldest son the correction that seemed to him the most just for the little liars. The pain he was soon to feel did not hurt Harry, being accustomed. But being exposed right above his little sister gave this punishment a much more horrible image.
"When are you going to stop destroying all the furniture of the manor to make yourself interesting?! You're just a little jealous who thinks this way to get all the attention, isn't it?! You think maybe this is how you will manage to put yourself at the same level as him!? Your brother is a hero, and you are nothing compared to him!"
The first blow of the belt blew the air and came crashing on the frail back of Harry, who refrained from screaming in pain while biting his lip. Other blows followed quickly, leaving marks on the entire surface of his skin. A blow more violent than the others could easily make him bleed, but James seemed to measure the power in his arm to make the torture last longer. The tears came after a while in Harry's eyes, but the belt was not the only pain. The sobs of Rosie that he could hear were far more heartbreaking than anything else.
"I should have listened to Dumbledore when he suggested putting you in an orphanage to prevent you from attracting attention while Matthew constantly needs our presence! How could I be so stupid to listen to your mother! In the end, you will never have brought us anything good in this family, except for constant arguments!
Repulso! The spell sent by Lily sent James crashing heavily against Harry's desk, while Lily, who had just burst into the room, kept her wand pointed at her husband while approaching Harry's bruised body. James rose painfully, dusting himself off in a gesture intended to nonchalantly fix his suit jacket while furiously looking at his wife. Although Harry could not see him in his condition, James had the same face and the same bad expression that was usually reserved for him. There was no doubt that little was needed for him not to give his wife a slap. Matthew had already run out of the room upon observing the sudden appearance of his mother and especially what she had done to his father.
"I can't believe you started again!" fumed Lily, keeping her wand in case of an attack. "What's wrong with you, James!? How can you be so cruel to him? What kind of father are you!?"
"The kind that teaches his children not to lie," he replied harshly. "This insolent little bastard needs to understand his place in this house, since apparently, your too gentle and conciliatory way of raising him does not seem to have instilled certain values in him!"
"My way of raising him!? If you had taken more time to care for your other two children, maybe you would not find anything to complain about regarding how I educate them!"
"You know very well that we cannot afford it!"
But Lily wasn't listening to him anymore and was already leaning over her son's bruised back to assess the damage. Her wand twirled over Harry as she performed several spells to determine the extent of the injuries, but luckily, if one could say so in such a situation, Harry suffered only from simple abrasions due to the whiplash.
"Sometimes I wonder what led me to marry you when I see what an abject man you have become," she stormed in an icy tone. "Even my sister's husband certainly doesn't beat his son the way you do."
"You just have to go find your dear sister if it bothers you so much! I'm sure she will find you a small place in the... what was it? Ah yes: the Tavern of her husband! Cleaning tables all the time and serving customers, is that what you want!? The role of Lady may not suit you more!?"
"Go to hell, James."
Thinking maybe he had just won the game, James approached his wife for some unknown reason. Maybe he hoped to give her a hug to pretend that he was already forgiving her for his little misconduct, he said, but Lily had already noticed his little merry-go-round and without further delay sent another spell that catapulted him directly into the corridor. Furious, her husband got up and tried as hard as he could to get back into the room, but Lily had already preceded his gesture and had brutally slammed the door in his face with her magic wand. James drummed on the wooden panel for several minutes before confessing defeat and walking away, not without promising Lily that he would make her pay for it, one way or another. His threats did not have the desired effect because Lily was too busy treating Harry's wounds with the help of Rosalyn, who had meanwhile extricated herself from under the bed.
"Is it serious, Mom?" she muttered in a worried voice, gazing in horror at the long lines formed by the belt.
"Not as much as I feared," reassured Lily while making the blood disappear with her magic wand.
The next few minutes were devoted to cleaning wounds and healing them. Luckily, Lily had a medical background and could therefore treat her son in no time, thanks in particular to the potions that she made appear with a wave of the wand from the medicine cabinet of the manor. Also, in just a few moments, his back looked like new, although the pain was still present. With the help of her daughter, she later began to tuck Harry into his covers, not without whispering comforting words to soothe him. Getting whipped wasn't something very recommendable after all.
"You're gonna rest now, Harry. I cleaned the wounds, but you may still suffer a little while the potion takes effect. Rosie, you're gonna have fun in your room, I'm gonna come see you later and have a little chat with you about what just happened, okay?"
His daughter nodded and finally walked out of the room, not without kissing Harry on the forehead. His mother did the same a few seconds later, asking her son one last time if he was okay.
"Mom…"
"Yes, Harry?" she asked when she was about to open the door.
"I... I'm sorry... Dad is right, I attract only trouble... I should not have existed; I am only an embarrassment for you… You would have been happier if I hadn't been there…"
"Don't ever say that again, you hear me!" exclaimed his mother as she approached him again. "All that your father could ever tell you about you is just a bunch of nonsense! You are a wonderful son; a very intelligent boy, and I am very proud to be your mother! This whole situation is not your fault; nothing would have happened without this prophecy and Voldemort! Those are the two things to blame, not you! It's up to you to prove to them that you're not useless, to fight to show them what you're worth!"
"But Dad has…"
"Don't listen to what your father tells you!" she insisted. "Your father is just an arrogant fool who sees no further than the tip of his nose. If he could do it, he would see exactly what I see when I look at you! One day you will show him that he was wrong about you, and that day you will realize that you have become a much better man than he ever will be!"
Harry looked silently at his mother, touched by her words. Then, for the first time since his father's unexpected arrival, he smiled, with a sincere and happy smile, moved by what Lily had been able to tell him. Yes, one day he will show his father how wrong he was on the whole line about him, but not only. He was eager to do the same with Dumbledore and his alleged six-year-old little hero.
"Now rest," his mother commanded him in a soft voice. "I'll bring you something to eat when you wake up."
"Okay," Harry muttered before falling asleep suddenly like a mass.
That same evening, after the children had gone to bed and after yet another check on Harry's injuries, Lily was invited to an emergency meeting by her husband. James, who could not bear for his wife to once again defend their eldest son in his misdeeds, specifically asked Dumbledore to join them to seriously discuss the couple's current situation and the influence that their now-continuous disputes had within the Potter household. Neither had exchanged any words all day, except when James had called him to come into the living room to have a serious discussion. Without giving him any more details, he had simply declared to wait for Dumbledore's arrival to begin to speak frankly to him of the situation which he considered intolerable in which they found themselves. This is how Lily waited wisely in the living room of the manor, sitting in one of the armchairs facing the fireplace, from which the old man Albus was probably going to arrive, not without inwardly pestering over her husband's inability to cope with his problems and to constantly seek help and advice from the headmaster of Hogwarts.
The tension was really palpable between them, and to make matters worse, Sirius arrived unannounced using the chimney and crashed miserably onto the living room carpet. Obviously, he was completely drunk again. James relaxed slightly as he saw him arrive and even offered him a few new glasses of champagne while chatting happily with him. To believe that nothing had happened today when one heard the friendly tone with which he addressed his best friend. Of course, he ignored the events of the day, perhaps not to worry him, but didn't really seem to want him to leave, as if he hoped Sirius' additional presence would be even more decisive tonight during the meeting with Dumbledore. At this thought, Lily held back a sneer and forced herself to keep an impassive face. Sirius was so drunk that he already wanted to take off his "pants to get comfortable" on his own terms.
But before he even began to unbutton his pants, new green flames appeared in the hearth of the fireplace, and moments later, Dumbledore's tall figure emerged from the interior and walked quietly into the living room. His usual good-naturedness seemed to have left him, and his usually jovial face was now firm and turned towards Lily. Once again, the feeling of being caught in fault and sermonizing was strong in her, she said, and she resisted the temptation to immediately open hostilities with him by sending to his face all the insults that crossed his mind.
"Oh Albus! It was time for!" James exclaimed as he approached the old man, reaching out his hand. "Will you have a drink?"
"No thanks, James, I no longer drink alcohol at nightfall," politely refused the headmaster smiling. "Oh, I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Sirius. What good wind brings you?"
"Who are you?" he asked in a pasty voice. "Have you seen his beard, James? Worse, his dress? I think I'm subject to hallucinations! Merlin the enchanter in flesh and bone!"
With a hesitant approach, Sirius approached Dumbledore as if to verify that he was really there. But on his way, he accidentally crossed the foot of a table and after a howl that shook the walls, he pitifully crushed himself on the ground, head first. Maybe it was alcohol, or the shock, but Sirius did not get up and lay unconscious on the floor. Lily, who already found the situation ridiculous, couldn't help but sneer openly when she heard James' best friend snoring loudly, the pants slightly lowered at the thighs revealing his silk panties.
"It's unexpected," said Dumbledore, while James, red with shame, lifted his friend up and carried him to a couch so that he would end up covered on a much more comfortable down.
"Forgive him, Albus, he tends to drink a little too much when someone is not there to make him stop," James apologized by showing a cover he used to cover Sirius.
"Once his tirade was completed, James returned to his wife and Dumbledore and sat down after a few seconds of hesitation in an armchair opposite Lily's. Dumbledore took his place in a third chair and observed the two people facing him, as if analyzing them.
"Well," he said after a few seconds of silence, "you asked for my presence tonight, James. It seems very important, so I'm listening."
"You see, Dumbledore, for some time I've been noticing a certain tension within our family. Lily and I argue frequently, most often for the same reason."
"I see... Does it concern Matthew?" he immediately inquired, as if it were self-evident.
"Among other things, but not only. In fact, it concerns especially our eldest son, Harry," confessed James, spitting out the name of his son with hatred.
"What is happening to him?" The tone might sound like Dumbledore was interested, but Lily was not fooled. Anything that did not concern Matthew annoyed the headmaster of Hogwarts more than anything else.
"You were right. Harry has, over time, become particularly insolent and jealous of his brother. He spends most of his time breaking objects in the house for the simple purpose of getting noticed. Repeatedly, he even accused Matthew of doing it! No, but realize it! This situation is becoming unmanageable, Professor. I do not know how to go about it with him, especially as Lily does not stop defending him even in front of the accomplished fact!"
"You have no proof that it is Harry who does all these things!" his wife replied, raising her voice. "Every time you find a broken object, Harry is never around, unlike Matthew!"
"You dare to pretend that it would be him who would do all this!? And for what purpose!?"
Lily was well tempted to answer, 'To take advantage of the fact that you would not miss such a great opportunity to give a few slaps to her brother!' but disparaging one of his children was absolutely not of his kind. She loved all three of them in the same way, with their qualities and flaws. To speak ill of one of them was, in spite of herself, above her strength. James seemed to interpret his silence as an admission that his insinuations were unfounded and gave himself heartfelt joy to put it lower than earth.
"See? Even you can't find a plausible explanation for your thinking! In truth, you know that Matthew would never do such a thing, but you are once again looking for an apology to your eldest son!"
"How can you believe for a moment that Harry is capable of doing such a thing! If you bothered to spend time with him, you'd see that he's a brilliant boy who would never stoop to such stupid acts!"
"He's jealous, Lily! Why don't you realize that?" James persisted, almost screaming. "He's trying to pit us against each other! Incidents involving broken objects began to emerge from the moment the title of Lord Potter was taken from him!"
"Really? And let us admit that you are right, do you not find that having removed from him this title which was moreover one of the wills of his grandfather was sufficiently unjust? I could almost understand that he is capable of doing such a thing when we see that all the wills concerning him have been purely and simply canceled! I would be so disappointed in his place!"
"I don't care about his moods. Matthew will make a much better Lord than he, and the simple fact that he is at the head of the Potter fortune will be enough to allow him to create multitudes of relationships among the other great magical families! Your son is completely unknown to him in the eyes of the magical world, no one would take him seriously, and the family fortune would diminish by half if we had left him this little privilege!"
"Come on, calm down," Dumbledore tried in vain to see the two young men who were becoming completely red with anger.
But even if he asked them several times to control themselves, nothing did it. Lily and James had launched into a new dispute of which they had the secret. The headmaster of Hogwarts had to be content to observe in silence their exchanges without succeeding in calming them. Finally, he simply used his wand to put an end to their argument by making a few sparks appear from the end of his magic wand to attract their attention. Fortunately, it worked, and the two Potters watched it, not without amazement.
"Well, now that I've managed to get your full attention, I'd like to discuss with you something that seems very important to me. It seems clear that the current climate in your family is not conducive to the development of a child. Between the suspicions about this or that person, the bad blows, the jealousy of your other children with respect to Matthew, and your continual arguments, your son will never be able to progress in his learning if all this continues. Too many things disturb his balance, and I doubt very much that seeing his parents quarrel over time is beneficial for him."
"I do not see in what..."
"Let me finish, Lily," Dumbledore cut her off. "I had already expressed my reluctance about Harry's presence around his younger brother and the possible negative consequences that this would bring. You can see for yourself, Matthew is very far from the level I was aspiring to at home, and the fault is partly due to the distractions caused by his brother and sister. His talents in magic are also rather limited, although he already has a certain lead over children his age. I wanted to personally start his training when he reached the level of a first-year student at Hogwarts, but for now, he is still very far from it, and it does not seem to be working out. He confessed to me himself not so long ago that he had some shortcomings in everything that concerned the theory, he said, and I was surprised myself that he still could not read..."
"Lily tends to teach these things to her other two children rather than to Matthew," James intervened by shooting at his wife.
"I tried, and I always try! But Matthew is totally disinterested in reading and writing! He doesn't want to know about any of this, and the few times I manage to get a minimum of his attention, James makes his appearance and offers him to play Quidditch or go out on the way to consume sweets!"
"Ah! Now it's my fault!" he replied, raising his voice in turn.
The two immediately went off into a verbal joust, each throwing scathing comments at the other to destabilize their opponent, under the dismayed eyes of Dumbledore. He, who wanted to see Matthew grow up in a loving home and become the perfect little wizard he so desired, had something to lament. And Sirius, who continued to snore loudly on the sofa, was of no help to him, annoying him with all the noise he caused. Still the master of him usually, Dumbledore slowly began to lose patience and get angry, especially since a headache had just appeared and did not improve his mood. The explosion was near and did not take long to come.
"Enough!" he exclaimed in a voice even louder than theirs. "See where I wanted to go? You have just shown me at the very moment the problem that existed in your family. Lily, you tend to overprotect Harry and Rosalyn a little too much from their brother, and you, therefore, give Matthew the impression that you are putting them after him."
"It is not true!" Lily replied, this time yelling at him. "I am their mother, and I love them just as much as the other!"
"Maybe, but your son may think otherwise. The fact that you're defending his siblings from James and him might make him feel like he's being left behind by his mother. How do you want him to bring peace to our world if within his own family he feels like he is following others? A deep resentment could be born deep inside him, a resentment towards you for not being present enough for him, but also against us by making ourselves responsible for it because we have done nothing to prevent it. I had already given you recommendations for him to have the happiest childhood possible, away from all the hassles he will have to face in the future," he said, "but because of your willingness to make the equal share between your children, the opposite happens. Matthew is unhappy, and I don't want to see a depressed young man facing the dark wizard when he returns, and you know just like me that he'll come back sooner or later. Public opinion may suffer from your decisions, Lily; Matthew is like a standard behind which they band together to fight against the forces of evil, so giving them the image of a bad boy in his skin is probably not the right solution, you understand?"
Lily did not answer him and simply nodded her head. She herself knew that her son was for many people a hero and a figure to follow; she was not stupid. But Dumbledore seemed above all to want to use him for advertising purposes, even propaganda. Unhealthy intentions, in short. But we had to admit that he had some truth in his words. Matthew would sooner or later have to face Voldemort again, and the later would be the better. But until now, his talents were at least derisory in magic, especially as his dueling abilities left something to be desired. Perhaps she did not invest enough in his education? Learning to read would be a good start in his training and would at least allow him to study the theory of witchcraft and learn some spells on his own.
"What do you propose in this case?" she asked, breaking the silence that had set in."
"I think that for some time, keeping Harry away from his brother could solve many problems. It will only be temporary, Lily," he added as he saw Harry's mother preparing to challenge her proposal. "Matthew would be totally free to learn how to master his magic without any disturbance, and Harry could continue to. He himself must be, in any case, aware of the importance of his brother to our community and will understand that it would be desirable for him not to disturb him, if I believe your remarks about his intelligence. This will allow you to focus on training your younger son without worrying about the problems that could happen to Harry. It would be best to send him to a family member so that he is not too disoriented. Do you have any family still alive?"
"I have only very distant cousins whom I have almost never seen," James said thoughtfully. "I am an only child, and the relationships I have with my aunts on my mother's side are stormy, to say the least."
"All right, what about you, Lily?"
"My parents died shortly after the end of my studies as a result of a long illness. I only have my older sister, Petunia Dursley, but I haven't heard from her in a long time, especially since she hates me…"
"It's perfect, so you'll just have to entrust your son to your sister," Dumbledore announced without apparently paying attention to the end of Lily's last sentence.
"What!?" But…"
"It would be better if he left as quickly as possible so that we can more seriously start training both Matthew," decreed James, smiling with a delighted air at the prospect of no longer having Harry in his paws. "Lily will only have to send her sister a letter to warn her of the upcoming arrival of her son at her home."
While James and Dumbledore were already beginning preparations for Harry's departure, Lily could not help sighing sadly at the real upheaval that had just met her peaceful life, at least in appearance. Whatever she did now, nothing could stop the machinery that was running, and Dumbledore was now going to do feet and hands to get rid of her eldest son.
"I suppose it's for the better," she muttered in a white voice, lowering her eyes to the carpet.
"I am delighted to see that you finally understand the importance of all this, my dear Lily. It is, therefore, better to prepare as soon as possible for Harry's departure to your sister's family. Don't worry about him; I'm sure a new environment won't hurt him, and you can get him back when the time comes when he starts school at Hogwarts! By then, Matthew will have made great progress!"
Lily contented herself with softly acquiescing without raising her eyes to Dumbledore. To imagine for a moment leaving her son in the hands of her sister was simply unthinkable, especially since Petunia Dursley hated everything that had attracted magic. His son's life was to become a real ordeal, and Dumbledore's words were far from reassuring.
"I'll take him to Petunia myself if you don't mind. My sister hates magic, so I will have to take him home in the most normal way possible, by a Muggle way."
"Wonderful!" just said Dumbledore before saying goodbye to James, who, for the first time since the director's arrival, looked in a great mood.
Only a few meters away, a small silhouette leaning against the wall of the corridor hiccupped, repressing the sobs that threatened her. Hearing the adults stand up, Harry, who had been awakened by the howls of Sirius and had consequently heard the whole conversation between his parents and Dumbledore, rushed down the stairs to return to his room, not without shedding many tears as he passed. A single thought crossed his mind all the way: His mother, the person he loved most in the world, the one who had cared for him continuously, abandoned him in turn.
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