Chapter 29: The Books
A few questions are answered. I am still taking a break, but someone asked what happened to the books. So I added this chapter.
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It was a few months later that Rita's book came out and the whole of the wizarding world was turned on its ear. The exposéthat was Dumbledore's life took them by surprise. Well, not quite by surprise, she had been spreading rumors for months now, but they were still shocked by the depth of his duplicity. How he had hidden it from most of them was so shocking under that grandfather persona… it was mind-boggling. Those that were his friends were the most hurt. Well, not Moody and Minerva, they knew the man the best. Severus Snape was not affected either.
"I can't believe he did half of what he did," Harry said after reading how the old headmaster had manipulated people to do his will. He had not known about the whole Grindelwald affair. He knew they had been lovers but not the taking over the world part. The depth of their conniving was mind-blowing.
"I can," Sirius said, tipping back a drink. He needed it after reading that book. His name was in it and how he had tricked Snape into the Whomping Willow. How Rita had found out about that, he had no clue. That didn't put him in a good light, but hopefully most of them would realize that Snape didn't go under that tree at wand point. The way the old headmaster had let most of the Gryffindors get away with murder during his reign to foster goodwill was delved in that book.
"I'm sorry, she put your name in there," the teen said, putting the book down and leaning forward a bit. He put his hand on his godfather's arm and squeezed it a bit. He would be there for him like Sirius had been there for him during his trying times.
"So am I, but then again, I'm not. She did a really good job of uncovering everything that old man did. I mean she found out everything. I don't know how she did it, but there isn't anything left unturned. There are going to be a lot of pissed off people out there. She might have to move," he said, finishing off his drink. He put the glass on the table and picked up the book and looked at the cover. On it was the so-called venerable man himself. He was wearing one of his multi-colored robes with his long white beard and hair. He looked like a saint on the cover, but there was that damnable twinkle in his eyes. If one looked hard enough, they could see the cunning in those eyes.
"I know, I'm not happy that my whole life is in there," Harry said, anger flashing in his eyes. His life, from the moment he was born to the moment Dumbledore died, was summarized in that book. There were even some of his recent doings if it was affected by that man's manipulations. Everything that the old man touched was referred to. Only the grey space was left out, and that was because the woman didn't know about it. It was mentioned that Harry disappeared for a little bit one summer and that the headmaster hadn't known where he had gone. It was alluded too but glossed over.
"I would sue her, but she didn't lie or embellish," Sirius said, putting the book down again. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"I know," Harry said, doing the same. They had had this talk before. "Have you thought about publishing Bella's book?" he asked, the thought having just come to him.
"What made you think of that?"
"It'll compete with this one. It'll give the public something else to read besides this uptight book. They need something light to read," Harry said, thinking that Bella's book might make people laugh.
"Bella's book is not light reading. She's a Death Eater," Sirius said, thinking back on what he had read. It was a Dark book, parts of it anyway. There were some light parts, but most of it was dark and broody. Bella was one emotional bitch. Her teenage years were wroth with twist and turns.
"Wasn't she a teenager when she wrote it?" was the question.
"Well, yeah, but she was a dark teenager. She was doing Dark Magic at a young age, and she was devoted to the Dark Lord from the get go," Sirius said, thinking over what was written in that book.
"Still, it will be a good time to publish it," Harry said, thinking the market would be hot for it. "You could publish it in the muggle world as a fantasy novel," he suggested, rubbing his chin in thought. Now that he thought about that, it sounded like a really good idea. There was a great market for that kind of thing. Teenage girls would eat it up, not to mention lonely housewives.
"I like the sound of that," his godfather said, grinning like a fool. He'd have to fix it up a bit, but he could make it pass as a muggle book. Change a few of the words, like the spell words. Couldn't have real spells in the book. If a muggleborn child got ahold of it and cast accidentally, that would be bad. He'd keep them in the wizarding version but change it in the muggle one. It would be fine. Or hire someone to do it, he was rich after all.
"Alright, sounds like a plan," Harry said, glad that that was settled.
"We'd better go see what this book has done to the public. We'll need to rub elbows with people and put out some fires. You need to let people know that you're not the pathetic little boy in this book," Sirius said, getting up and going to get his robes. It wasn't something he liked doing. They were still treating him like some hero, but if they wanted to keep the public on their side, they needed to be seen now and then.
"You're right, we'll need to be seen," Harry said with a sigh. He agreed with his dogfather. They needed to know he was not Dumbledore's Golden Boy.
Together they went to the Leaky Cauldron and rubbed elbows with Joe Public. They talked with everyone that had questions for them and answered what they could. They deferred what they couldn't answer to Minerva out of spite. She was still being quite the bitch to them and was being hateful to Harry for leaving before he graduated. They hung out for around two hours and then went home to a good dinner of Toad in the Hole. It was a good night for the both of them.
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It was Hogsmeade's weekend, and Harry was visiting Hermione and Neville. Luna was there as well, though she was there in the capacity of Harry's new girlfriend. They decided to test the waters of this fledgling relationship. Luna was the one to suggest it. She wanted to see if it went anywhere.
"Rita's book has been the talk of the school for the last month. Headmaster Baker held a book club for those that want to discuss it. McGonagall had a cow," Neville said, chuckling under his breath. He was not a fan of the Deputy Headmistress. He still felt that she didn't deserve the title.
"Professor McGonagall was rightfully upset," Hermione said, trying to stick up for the distressed woman, though her heart wasn't in it. She had lost all her admiration of the woman over the year. That woman had still stuck up for Dumbledore, even after everything had come out. To this day she still spouted out what a good man he was.
"You know better, Hermione," Harry said, giving her a longsuffering look.
"I know, I just feel the need to play Devil's Advocate," she said, sighing.
"Well, don't," Harry said, giving her a grin to take the bite out. "She doesn't deserve it," he added. "What else is going on in the school?" he asked, looking around the Three Broomsticks. It was packed with students. They were all drinking butterbeer. Madame Rosmerta wouldn't let anyone drink anything harder than that on a student weekend.
"Gryffindor is winning the Quidditch Cup, while Ravenclaw is winning the House Cup," Luna stated, taking some of the chips in the middle of the table they were sharing, dipping them in vinegar and eating them. "Padma wishes you well," she added, giving him a knowing look.
"That's nice," he said, giving her a grin. He was on good terms with his ex-girlfriend. They were still on speaking terms but didn't really talk much. She kept him at arm's length so that she didn't have to deal with the press. "How is Hufflepuff doing? And is Slytherin recovering after most of their upper years disappeared?" he asked, taking some of the chips and eating them without the vinegar. The Aurors had come and taken many of the marked Slytherins into custody after Harry had departed the school. It was not as shocking as it could have been.
"Hufflepuff is in second place, and Slytherin is quiet. They aren't recovering well. Malfoy asked about you. He wanted a way to contact you," Hermione said, leaning forward so only he could hear him.
"Shite, I'd better get ahold of him. I need to find a way to continue his tuition," Harry said, knowing he had promised the other teen. He'd give the boy a mirror and they could study that way.
"What are you doing here, Potter?" came the question from a most unwanted voice.
"Weasley. I was enjoying some wonderful company with friends and family until you came along," Harry said, smiling at the boy. Ron wasn't looking well. He was standing there with a sneer on his face, looking like he had lost a bit of weight. Like the stress of the world was weighing on his shoulders.
"You don't have family," Ron sneered, folding his arms and glaring at Harry. He was getting a lot of flak from the book of Dumbledore. He and his mum were still staunch supporters of the man. His family weren't backing him, or his mother.
"Hermione is my sister, and Neville is my brother. They are closer than anyone else in the world to me, other than Sirius," Harry said without batting an eye. He would take that to his grave.
"Oh, that's just plain bullshit. You can't just name people family. Family is blood and nothing is deeper than blood," Ron stated, looking at his own family, who were looking at him with deep shame. Like they couldn't believe they were related to him. His sneer grew more pronounced.
"Ron, stop making a scene," Ginny said, coming up to her older brother. She blushed in the presence of Harry Potter. She couldn't believe her childhood friend was sitting with him, but she was still very shy around him.
"Come on, Ron, let's go," Fred said, taking one of his arms.
"Let's let Harry have time with his family and girlfriend," George said, smiling at his business partner.
"I'll see you two next weekend," Harry said to the twins, who he would be seeing for a business meeting. They got together once a month to go over the books.
"See you, cousin," the twins said, making Ron sputter.
"What? Why did you call him that?" the younger male Weasley said as they dragged him away. "I am your brother," he called as they took him out of the pub.
"Why did they call you that?" Hermione wanted to know.
"We decided they were part of the family, but only cousins. It was their decision," Harry explained, holding up his hands to ward off protest.
"I have no issue with this," Neville said, liking the idea of the twins being part of the family.
"Yes, the twins feel like cousins," Hermione agreed.
"Harry," Ginny said, having not left, "don't take what Ron says seriously. He's under a lot of pressure from the public. He and Mum still think that Dumbledore did no wrong."
"That is not my problem," Harry said, unconvinced. "Ron is not a stupid person. The facts have been laid out before him. If he still believes that that man is innocent, then that is on him. I will not be his whipping boy." He was completely unsympathetic.
"He used to be your best mate," Ginny said, protesting for her brother's sake.
"He burned that broomstick ages ago," Harry said, looking at her queerly.
"Oh, well, I'd better go," the girl said, running after her brothers blushing deeply.
"You know, she's still crushing on you," Luna stated, looking at her friend's back.
"Is she?" Harry asked, watching the redheaded girl flee.
"Yes."
"Wow, it sucks to be her," Neville said, laughing a bit.
"Neville," Hermione chastised, though she giggled a bit too.
"What? Everyone knows that Harry doesn't love her," the other teenager said, looking at Harry's face.
"Still," the bushy-haired witch said.
"I don't," Harry said, thoughtfully. "I think of the Weasley's as a branch family. I don't think I could love any of them in any way other than familial," he added.
"I get that," Hermione said, thinking the same thing.
"Well, it's been fun, but we have to get back," Neville said, drinking the rest of his butterbeer.
"I have to get going too," Harry said, waving his hand and disappearing the bottles. It would save some time for Madame Rosmerta. Another wave of his hand and the table was clean.
"Show off," Luna giggled, kissing his cheek.
They all got up and left the pub. Harry walked them to the gate, with many people watching him. He still had many admirers, and enemies.
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Bella's book took off like a storm. It rivaled Dumbledore's exposé for quite a while. It also was published in the muggle world and Sirius was brought before the Wizengamot on charges until his solicitor proved that he did not breeched the Statute of Secrecy. Rita caught wind of it and did the same. Her book didn't take off quite as well.
Sirius finally found someone and married. He had a son, and Harry was no longer his heir, which he was thankful for. He lived a long and fruitful life with his wife.
Harry and Luna married and had five children. He got rich and changed the wizarding world like he wanted.
Hermione and Neville both found people to marry and had children. They remained part of Harry's family and spent a lot of time with him and Luna.
Amelia and Tonks never did break into the muggleborn mafia, but they did get all the Death Eaters and reformed the DMLE and got a Minister that balanced the budget across the ministry.
Hogwarts finally got rid of McGonagall and Dumbledore's portrait was put to sleep for many years. Reform was made and the points system was revamped. It was fairer now and closely monitored. Bullying was no longer tolerated and was strictly enforced.
All in all, the wizarding world was a better place to raise a family.