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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:None Genres: Tragedy Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 1174 Summary: Harry gets one night that gives him a glimpse into what life could be like with the Dursley's. But events turn for the worse and both Harry and the wizarding world are left wondering what it's consquences mean for the future of the world. Hitcount: Story Total: 501650; Chapter Total: 13595 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: I don't own anything. The entire Potter Universe is JK Rowling's creation. No Copyright infringement is intended. I write lowly fan fics to take up time and have fun with it all. |
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Chapter 17: Stepping Out “Harry?” called Ron’s voice from the doorway. “Yeah?” Harry whispered back groggily, rolling onto his back towards the door. He had crawled back into bed when Ginny had left the room after their talk and must have fallen asleep. “Mum wants to know if you’re hungry. It’s almost one in the afternoon and we just finished some lunch, but she says she’ll make whatever,” Ron said quietly. “But if you’re not, she says you can rest as long as you like.” “No,” Harry replied, grabbing his glasses and pulling himself into a sitting position. “Tell her I’ll be down in a bit and whatever’s left from lunch I’ll take.” “Right,” Ron said as he shut the door quietly behind him. Harry was in fact starving. He hadn’t had anything to eat since early the day before and he had rather violently expelled that from his stomach when he got sick after the attack. And the fact that no one mentioned soup or potioned liquids as his lunch, made him want to go down and enjoy some food even more. He sat on the edge of his bed for a bit, stretching and cracking his tired muscles and bones. The events of yesterday had left him tired and sore. He also sat there, listening for the soft vibration of his newly released powers as they coursed through him. As he relaxed he could feel the soft tingling from every pore in his body, confirming that yesterday’s revelations hadn’t been a dream after all. Part of him wanted it to be just a dreamed up idea. But another part of him sighed in relief when he sensed that sensation of every part of him being alive and warm with energy. He changed into a fresh t-shirt and jeans, slipping on a pair of socks awkwardly, tumbling backwards once or twice onto his bed as he pulled them on. Fully dressed, he paused in front of a mirror inside of an open wardrobe, scrutinizing his appearance. He looked a beat peaky. There were darkened circles underneath his eyes and a few scratches left over from the shards of glass that he had rolled in after breaking some of the memories, but he did have color in his cheeks. He also ran his hand through his hair, trying to gauge whether he needed a bandana or beanie. His hair wasn’t too short anymore and covered most of his pale scalp. It wasn’t nearly as long as it had been before the accident, but the scar left over from his brain surgery was barely visible now. Harry stood there for a second contemplating, and then threw the beanie he had in his hand back towards his bed, deciding to brave it. He padded his way softly out into the hall and down the stairs to the first floor. He couldn’t help but realize how much easier the trek down the stairs was now. Granted he still needed to grip the railing and he wasn’t about to go bounding down them, skipping two or three steps at a time like he might of in the past, but this was a much-needed improvement. He made his way slowly down the stone steps into the kitchen, straining to hear voices coming from the kitchen. It was fairly quiet and he wasn’t sure if there was anyone in there. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face everyone again. He was worried about how they’d react to him now. They had witnessed everything, had been there when he had woken up and then forced them to leave him be. They must have questions and he wasn’t to keen to having to meet their wondering gazes just now. Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed open the heavy wooden door. Mrs. Weasley was busying herself near the sink, her back was to him and it didn’t look like she had noticed him enter. Sitting at the table, Mr. Weasley, Remus, and Tonks were all immersed in their own tasks. Mr. Weasley was hidden behind his copy of The Daily Prophet and Remus and Tonks were bent over a piece of parchment, talking quietly and pointing to it every once in a while. None of them seemed to have noticed his presence either. Not wanting to interrupt them, Harry slid into a chair on the opposite side of them a little farther down the long wooden table. He grabbed a pitcher of pumpkin juice across from him and then pulled an empty goblet towards himself, slowly and shakily pouring himself some. When he was done, Harry slid the pitcher back into the middle of the table, causing Remus and Tonks to both look up and down the table towards him. “Harry,” Remus said with a smile, “we didn’t even hear you come in.” “Harry dear,” Mrs. Weasley said turning from her place near the countertop, “you must be hungry. What would you like?” “Whatever’s left over from lunch is fine Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said quickly. “Are you sure? We just had some sandwiches and a bit of cake for dessert. I could whip up anything you’d like,” she asked him. “Sandwiches are fine,” Harry replied. “It’s not your fault I slept half the day away.” Harry shot a small smile at her and she returned it, turning towards the icebox and pulling out the left over sandwiches, placing them on a plate for him and busying herself with other things. “Feeling alright?” Remus asked eyeing Harry closely. He was asking more than if Harry felt all right physically, but wasn’t about to let in the others to what they had discussed in private. Harry nodded his head, setting down his goblet and gulping down a mouthful of pumpkin juice. “Yeah,” Harry responded. “I feel a lot better after sleeping a bit. I’m a bit sore though.” “Here you go dear,” Mrs. Weasley said as she set a plate full of sandwiches and another full of sausages in front of him. “There’s more if you’re still hungry.” Harry nodded and picked up his fork, stopping in midair and looking down at his food. “Is there something wrong?” Mrs. Weasley asked. “I can whip something–“ “Don’t I have to take a potion before I eat all this?” Harry questioned. Since the accident, everything he had consumed had either had some sort of potion in it or he had had to choke something down before he could eat. For some reason it was just a bit odd not to have to. “No,” Mrs. Weasley smiled at him. “Poppy said it’d be alright to stop giving you those potions. If you feel sick I can give you something, but you really shouldn’t need anything. That is, unless you enjoyed them?” Mrs. Weasley smiled at her attempt at a joke. “No,” Harry laughed, “No I think I’ll just eat it like this.” And with that, Harry dug into his sandwich, relishing his first meal since the accident that hadn’t had some faint hint of potion in it. After eating one of the sandwiches on his plate, Harry turned to the sausages. He had a bit of trouble cutting them up one handed with his fork, but managed it, cleaning his plate. He had surprisingly finished his whole plate of sandwiches and sausages, as well as three goblets full of juice. As he ate he made small talk with the three adults sitting across from him, talking about articles in the Prophet, the upcoming plans for Bill and Fleur's wedding, but none of them touched the subject of the attack or anything related to it. Mrs. Weasley was just about to set down the chocolate cake in front of him, when Minerva McGonagall’s head appeared surrounded by green flames in the fireplace. “Minerva?” Arthur questioned. “Good afternoon Arthur, Remus, Nymphandora, Molly, Harry,” the headmistress said addressing each one of them and inclining her head in the fire. “What is it?” Remus asked, his instincts telling him that something was probably wrong. “I’ve just received a letter from Jane Granger…it’s for you actually,” she said holding out a letter towards Harry, who spit his pumpkin juice back into his goblet, and looked at the headmistress in surprise. “Me?” he sputtered. "Yes," she said, passing the letter to Remus, who was closest to the fire, who in turned handed it to Harry. "We had your forwarding address down as the Grangers when we brought you back in case there was any reason for the hospital to contact you. Jane sent it along to the school as soon as she received it. I must be going now actually. I'll be back later for the meeting. The Governors are meeting today to talk about opening Hogwarts." And with that the headmistress disappeared into the fire with a small 'pop.' Harry turned the envelope over, reading the typed writing on the front. It was from a law office called Meyers, Meyers, and Wimple and it was addressed to him at a residence somewhere near Oxford. Harry fumbled in opening the letter, trying to slide his finger under the sealed flap, but failing miserably. "May I?" asked Remus as he held out his hand, offering to open the letter for Harry. Harry looked around at everyone, who was trying not to watch him struggle to open the letter. Realizing defeat, he held the letter out to Remus who took out a penknife and slit the letter neatly at the top and then handed it back to Harry. Harry murmured quiet thanks while pulling out a professional looking piece of type paper and unfolding it. He read the letter slowly, his brow furrowing more as he went from line to line. He couldn't feel the waiting gazes that everyone around him was giving him as he sat quietly going over the letter in his hand. Finally he set the letter down on the table and breathed out uncomfortably, not looking up at the others who were still waiting for him to share what was in the letter. "Harry?" asked Arthur very concernedly. "What is it son?" Harry looked up suddenly when Mr. Weasley had called him 'son.' Maybe it had just been a habit that he had picked up over the years from talking to his six sons, but Harry couldn't help but feel a bit touched by that word. "Is everything alright?" asked Tonks. Harry cleared his throat when he found it a bit difficult to make his words come out. "Yeah," he finally said. "I...um...I've been...summoned." He paused to take another glance at the letter before continuing. "Summoned?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she set down the plate of chocolate cake she had been bringing Harry when Professor McGonagall had popped into the fire. Harry nodded. "To...a...the reading of my Aunt and Uncle's will," he said furrowing his brow at the letter. 'What could they have possibly left me?' he thought to himself. 'Probably wanted me to be present so I could see how much Dudley's being left,' another bitter part of him said before he shook that thought from his head. "When is the reading?" Remus asked quietly. "Ummm...." Harry paused searching for the date in the letter. "The...eleventh...that figures," he breathed as he tossed the letter back on the table. Tonks sent him a sympathetic glance from the opposite side of the table. The 11th was Ginny's sixteenth birthday. He had planned on spending the day with her at the Burrow. They would be going back there to prepare for Bill's wedding and he had envisioned getting to spend some time with Ginny someplace outside the drab, dark walls of Grimmauld place, maybe take a walk around the Weasley family grounds and maybe...snog. He had just wanted to give her a special day...seeing as he hadn't had the time or ability to go out and get her an actual present. Now he was going to miss half of the day doing something he really didn't feel like doing. "We could send someone to represent you Harry," Tonks offered, seeing the apprehension in Harry's eyes. Since the accident Harry hadn't talked about the Dursley's deaths really, but Remus had mentioned that he had expressed interest in where they were laid to rest and what had happened to Dudley. As bad as the Dursley's had treated Harry over the years, they were still his relatives. "No," Harry replied softly, again clearing his throat. "I couldn't go to their funeral...I should go. Then maybe we could swing by the churchyard and I could...leave flowers...or something." Arthur Weasley nodded respectively at Harry, wondering how, after all the Dursley's had put him through, he still had the compassion to pay his respects to them. He had heard things of course, from Ron and the Twins throughout the years about things Harry had told them of his life at the Dursley's. Some he didn't believe, some he didn't like to think were true. He had heard things from Dumbledore or Minerva about the treatment Harry received from them. He had always come back much too thin for a boy his age at the end of summer. And once or twice he had seen a faint hint of a bruise or an unexplainable scrape on Harry. He had seen the lack of caring and compassion the Dursley's had for their nephew the few times he had had the 'pleasure' of meeting them. "I'm sure Ginny will understand," Mrs. Weasley said as she sat down next to him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You won't be all day...we're just planning a supper and cake with only a few people," she added. She was trying to make him feel better about having to spend the day away from them and attending something that must be horribly hard for him. "Yeah," Harry said nodding in agreement. "Yeah...and besides," he paused grinning slightly, "I could stop to get her an--" But as he started to finish his sentence, the door of the kitchen creaked open and Ginny stepped into the kitchen, smiling broadly at the sight of Harry. "Morning...or should I say afternoon sleepyhead," she said as she put a hand on his chin and kissed him soundly on the lips before sitting on his right and pulling a glass of juice towards herself. Harry recovered a bit, totally shocked that Ginny had kissed him so fully with both her mother and father, as well as Remus and Tonks sitting right there. He half expected to be yelled at for their public display, but when he finally turned to look at everyone, Remus and Tonks were looking down at the parchment they had previously been studying. They were both trying hard not to laugh and to hide their smirks. Mr. Weasley was pretending to read his Daily Prophet again, a faint hint of a smile threatening to spread across his face. But Mrs. Weasley was smiling broadly at the two of them. Ginny on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything and continued to pour herself some juice, leaning in close to Harry. "Did you sleep well?" Ginny asked after taking a drink of her juice and setting the glass back on the table. Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly. "What's this?" she asked suddenly, pointing at the letter that was folded on the table in front of Harry. "Oh...um..." Harry stuttered. He had hoped to break the news to Ginny that he was going to miss part of her birthday to her, in private. "Um...Gin...I have to... to go to my Aunt and Uncle's...will reading," he told her. "Oh," Ginny replied, a hint of surprise in her voice and a knowing tone. There was more to this than just the reading. She could tell by the tone in his voice. "I'm really sorry...but it's on...your...your birthday," he said sadly and very disappointed. "I'm going to have to go to this and miss most of it. I'll be back before dinner though..." "I'll come with you," she said shrugging off his apology. "No...you don't have to--" Harry started. "Really...I don't mind. We're not having anything till late," she said, looking at her mother for confirmation. "That is...unless you'd rather I not." "No--" Harry began shaking his head. "It's just...I kind of was planning...on...on picking up a present for you. I never really got around to it with...well...with everything that's happened. And I don't think you'd enjoy spending your birthday sitting around in a stuffy law office." She placed a hand on his knee and looked him very seriously in the eye. "I don't need anything from you Harry," she said firmly. "I don't need any present...I've got you." As she spoke, her voice broke a bit as she realized how close to not being able to get him back she had really been. This moment alone might not have ever happened if he hadn't made to the hospital in time, if Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to bring him back, and if he would have succumb to Voldemort's mind invasion. "I just thought you'd like somethin--" Harry began. "No. I almost didn't get a chance with you again. All I want is to spend a day with you, no matter what we're doing. Ok?" she said, putting a stop to the notion that she was going to give in. Harry looked up for someone's approval that it would be alright for Ginny to come. Mr. Weasley nodded slightly. "Ok...but you have to promise you'll let me buy you an ice cream or something," he said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Ginny's serious face broke into a small grin. "If you insist," she smiled. "I guess we'll need to make arrangements with the Order?" Harry asked, knowing that things would be needed to plan out if he was to journey somewhere. "Arthur and I can accompany you two," Remus offered. "Do you know where this office is?" Harry turned back to letter, trying to see if the name of the road or the office rung a bell. "Carving Place...it's just a south of Privet Drive," Harry replied after he recognized the name of the street. "I'm not sure exactly where the office is though." "Can we take the train there?" Remus asked. "I think there's a station near there," Harry said, running over a map of the area in his head. "Yeah...there's a station not too far from that business district...why?" "We can just take Muggle transportation and sidestep any magic. We can forgo any detection and precautions we need if we'd Apparate or Floo. We just need to be cautious that's all. Though it wouldn't hurt if you got your Apparition license Harry," Remus answered. Harry's stomach dropped for a second. It wouldn't be a bad thing for him to be able to Apparate legally now. But going to get his Apparition license meant going to the Ministry. Going to the Ministry meant going out into public, the wizarding public where he was sure to be recognized. It wasn't a big deal to have the people who knew and trusted to see him injured and incapacitated as he was...but having the general wizarding public know he was missing an arm...well that was another thing. Plus he wasn't sure what Apparating using his full powers would do and how much attention he would draw to them. "I'm not ready for that," Harry said quietly, not meeting Remus's gaze. "It could be a useful thing Harry," Mr. Weasley added. "I know," Harry conceded, "Maybe another day." With that, the Apparation conversation ended. They got the point that Harry wasn't comfortable yet enough to take the test and didn't want to push him any farther. The conversation at the table quickly turned to other things like the plans to go back to the Burrow and what the rest of the week held. After another helping of sandwiches and his cake, Harry and Ginny retreated to the upstairs library where they spent the rest of the afternoon, as well as most of the two days leading up to the eleventh, going through some of the books, allowing time for snogging and snuggling on the comfy couch. -------------------------------- ------------------------------- Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror, straightening the collar of his green and white striped polo shirt and making sure it wasn't wrinkled or dirty in any way. His eyes followed his reflection downwards, looking to see if his black pants and dress shoes were in order. He looked alright...at least he thought he did. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to wear to a reading and didn't exactly have a suit or anything, so he picked out...actually Ginny picked out...this outfit. He continued to scrutinize his appearance, looking closely at his face in the mirror. He still had a bit of bruising, but overall he didn't look too bad. His hair was another problem. He had tried to get the short, fuzz type hairstyle he now had to lie flatter and closer to his head by taking a comb to it. But only some parts had cooperated and it was sticking up rather comically where it always did. He considered wearing the beanie again, but was sure that it wouldn't be proper for this, so he'd have to brave the way his hair looked. He was interrupted from his musings by someone entering the room. "Tonks found this for you," Ginny said as she held up a black sport coat. "She wasn't sure what size coat, so you've got to try it on now so Mum can alter it before we leave if need be." Ginny brought the coat over to Harry, holding it out so he could put his arm through the hole. She helped him pull the other side over his right shoulder, smoothing the jacket over and pulling the collar of his polo shirt over the top and straightening it. "Looks good," she said as she stood back from him and smiled approvingly. "I don't think I've ever seen you this spiffed up. I might be a little worried that some random girl from the street might try and steal you, you look that handsome." Harry smirked back and leaned forwards to kiss her lightly on the lips. "You're stuck with me," he whispered to her. "Just my luck," Ginny breathed dramatically, rolling her eyes and acting put off before starting to chuckle. "Oh..." she said suddenly, going back over to the bed where she had set a jar that Harry had not seen her bring in. She spun the lid off of the jar, dipping her fingers inside it and pulling out a jelly looking substance and holding it up to Harry who leaned away. "What're you doing? he asked cautiously. "Fixing that hair of yours," she said, pushing away his hand that had come up to stop her from attacking him with the jelly stuff on her fingers. "What did you use anyway?" "Water and a comb," Harry said, still avoiding her hand. "Come on...just let me fix it," she laughed, trying to get to his head, which was proving hard because he was a lot taller than her. "What is that?" he asked grabbing her hand and looking at the glob on her finger. "It's styling glue," she said, "Charlie uses it to get his fringe to spike and separate." "You're going to put glue...in my hair?" Harry asked, slightly horrified. "Not real glue stupid," she laughed. "Just sit down and let me work ok?" Harry eyed her carefully and then let her lead him back to the bed where he sat down. Ginny rubbed the clear glob of glue between her hands and fingers and then went to work on Harry's hair. Harry looked up, watching her hands as they pulled and carefully played with his short hair. Her face was in a mask of concentration as her mouth frowned as she worked. She ran her hands through his hair, playing with stray pieces and inclining her head and sighing from time to time. She finally stepped away and nodded approvingly, clearly satisfied with her work. "I guess...no...you can't go," she said suddenly shaking her head. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice sounding completely horrified. "You're too cute to go out in public," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm pretty good at that hair thing," she said smiling to herself. Harry, still eyeing her apprehensively, got up and moved over to the mirror in the wardrobe. As his reflection came into view he couldn't help but smile. His hair actually looked really good. His unruly cowlick wasn't sticking up and the rest of it wasn't haphazardly plastered to his head. Ginny had used the glue to spike most of his hair forward, separating and texturing it. His bangs, instead of being in a flat line across his forehead, where spiked off of it, small parts of it styled to look messy, but good. "Thanks," he said turning to her and giving her a quick squeeze. "This is just until we can grow your hair out," she said as she hugged him back. "I sort of miss your longer hair, especially when it got long enough to curl at the ends,” she added, thinking about how she liked to run her hands through it when they were kissing or snuggling. "I'm not on my potions anymore. So maybe I'll get your mum to let me use a restorative potion before the wedding...if you like," he smiled back. "And I don't think I could get it to look like this on my own." "I've got to go get changed," Ginny said as she looked over at the clock on the wall and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be downstairs in a minute. You should head down." "See you in a few," Harry called to her as she headed out the door. After looking himself over once more in the mirror, he headed downstairs to the kitchen where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Bill and Fleur were all sitting, eating an early morning breakfast. "You look very handsome dear," Mrs. Weasley said smiling as she noticed him enter the kitchen. "I see Ginny found Charlie's gel?" "Yeah...she attacked me," Harry laughed, lightly flicking his spiked fringe. "Zis can not be ze same 'arry Potter. You are miztaken Molly, letting zis 'andsome stranger in," Fleur interrupted, eyeing Harry with an approving look. Harry couldn't help but grin stupidly. Fleur's Veela charm still got him and caught him off guard sometimes. Beside Fleur, Bill looked as though he was about to burst with laughter as he watched Harry blush with the compliments. "Ginny will be down in a bit," Harry said, trying to take the focus off of him. "She's just getting ready." "We'll have to leave in ten or fifteen minutes if we plan on catching the next train," Remus said. "How are we getting there?" Harry asked, very curious as to how they were going to manage walking down the street to the station in broad daylight. "Walking, it's not that far," Mr. Weasley answered. "You'll be under your invisibility cloak though...at least until we get into the station." Harry nodded. He hadn't gone up to the Astronomy Tower to get his cloak after Dumbledore's death, but Hagrid had retrieved it for him and returned it before he had boarded the train back to the Dursley's. "It's in my trunk," Harry told Remus, "I'll be back." As quick as he could, Harry made his way back up into the bedroom and dug around his trunk, pulling out the silvery fabric and tucking it inside his jacket. He put his belongings back into the trunk and then rushed back downstairs. As he pushed open the door, he was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in the kitchen. Ginny was standing next to her mother near the stove, leaning against the counter...looking like a vision of heaven. She was wearing a black, low cut top with three quarter length sleeves. An opal pendant on a silver chain hung around her neck. She was wearing a silky, cream colored skirt that hung right above her knees. Her feet were covered in strappy black sandals. Harry couldn't help but stare. He had really only seen Ginny in her bulky black school robes, quidditch uniform and jeans and a t-shirt. What she was wearing now showed off every curve and for the first time her long, slender legs. Harry thought she was beautiful before, but his hormones were affirming that he really was the luckiest man alive. "Jaw up there Potter," Bill warned from the table, causing Harry to start and come back to reality. He had been openly staring with his mouth wide open and had paused halfway in the door. Everyone was watching him watch Ginny. Harry regained his composure, shaking his head of the fog that had erupted in it and gulped audibly, trying to find his voice. "You..." he began rather hoarsely.”You look...beautiful," he finally finished. Ginny smiled and blushed just as visibly as Harry when Fleur had commented him. The two of them just stood there, staring at each other and grinning stupidly. "If you two are ready," Arthur interrupted, "we really should be going." "Yeah..." Harry nodded, pulling his gaze from Ginny. "Be safe dears," Mrs. Weasley said as she went over to hug Ginny, Arthur and then Harry. "Harry, do you want me to do something about that sleeve?" she asked quietly as she let go of him, straightening the right shoulder that had begun to fall off. Harry looked down, noticing how the long sleeve of the jacket hung there oddly and caused the right side of the jacket to slide off his unsupported shoulder. "I guess," Harry said nodding. Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and put it between her teeth, turning her focus on fixing up the sleeve. She pulled the jacket part-way off of his shoulder, tucking the inside sleeve of the polo shirt into the sport coat, running her wand over it to get it to stay. She then grabbed the end of the empty sleeve, and folded it over and then back over, holding it there while she waved her wand over it, making a small silver safety pin appear, keeping the folded sleeve in place. When she was done, she took the lapels of the coat, straightening it and smiling in satisfaction. "Ok...there you go," she said. "Thank you," Harry whispered, taking Mrs. Weasley by surprise when he put an arm around her and hugged her. "We really have to be off now," Arthur said as he tapped his watch. "We'll see you tonight at home." "We'll have everything ready and brought there by then," Mrs. Weasley assured. "Happy Birthday Ginny. Good luck Harry." ------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- The four of them set off from Grimmauld Place, taking the most abandoned route possible. Ginny walked closely in between Remus and her father, with Harry following right behind under the invisibility cloak. Every once in a while Harry would reach forward and grab Ginny's hand just to let them know he was still there. When they reached the station Remus paused and looked around, speaking to a spot next to Ginny where he thought Harry was. "Coast is clear," Remus said quietly. A few seconds later, Harry appeared beside Ginny, hastily stowing his cloak inside his jacket. "We've got about five minutes until the train leaves so we have to hurry," Mr. Weasley said, pointing towards the ticket booth and checking a train schedule that he pulled out of his pocket. The four of them made their way over to the booth, Mr. Weasley in front. "Four tickets on the Number 3 train to....ah...Carving Station," Mr. Weasley said to the women in the booth. She pressed a button on her register, causing four tickets to shoot out of the slot. With a little help from Harry as usual, Mr. Weasley paid the woman and the four of them made their way through the checkpoint and onto the train, finding room enough for the four of them near the middle of the train. When everyone was boarded, the train slowly began to chug it's way out of the station and along the rail, causing Harry to sway gently as it picked up speed. Once of twice he found himself reaching up towards the handle above him to steady himself and keep from bumping into the elderly gentleman who was sitting to his right. The man simply smiled as Harry whispered 'sorry' as he bumped into the man as the train rounded a curve. He was a bit embarrassed at the look of sympathy the man had given him as he glanced at the rolled up sleeve on Harry's shoulder. Now that he was out in public, Harry had to admit he was a bit self conscious. "Next stop...Haven Row..." came a shrill voice over the loudspeaker. "Three more stops," Remus said as he leaned over Ginny to inform Harry. Just as Remus finished, a loud metal-on-metal shriek erupted and filled the car as the train put on its brakes to slow down. The sound seemed to grate against Harry's senses. Flickering images of sparks flying, piercing shrieks and a sickening sensation of being weightless overcame him. He wasn't in the train anymore...he was back in the car, hearing his aunt screaming, listening to the screech of the front end of the car hit the guardrail, watching the world tumble upside down as he hit the insides of the car, watching the windshield come closer in slow-motion as he tried helplessly to stop his body from making impact.... "Harry...." "Harry...." "Harry!" Harry opened his eyes, to see Ginny's face swimming into his vision, her face looking very frightened as she tried to get him back to reality. As his mind returned to the train, he noticed that his heart was racing hard against his chest, there were beads of sweat starting to drip from his forehead and his hand felt cold and clammy as it encircled Ginny's. "Was it him?" came a voice from his right. Remus had replaced the elderly man next to him, who had gotten off at the last stop, and was leaning in close to him. Harry shook his head, trying to make himself calm down. He didn't know why he had flashback to the accident. He really hadn't even had dreams or nightmares about it since it happened, but the sound of the brakes had triggered something violent. "No..." Harry choked, taking his hand from Ginny and wiping his brow with his sleeve. "It...we hit a guardrail," he blurted, "That sound...it just...reminded me of it. I'm ok...I'll be ok now." "We can get off if you want," Remus said quietly. "We can take a cab from here." Harry shook his head violently. He didn't think taking a car would be any better and he didn't want to alter the plans just because of his freak-out. "No, It just caught me off guard," Harry said firmly. "I'm fine." When it was clear that Harry wasn't planning on getting off the train, Remus settled back into the chair, eyeing Harry every once in a while. Ginny sat next to him, holding his hand tightly as it rested on his knee, her head leaning against his shoulder trying her best to comfort him and make him feel at ease. When that same shrill voice announced the next stop, Ginny gave Harry's hand an extra squeeze and put an arm behind him. When the brake sound filled the cabin she felt him tense up against her, letting out an audible breath to steady himself. She watched his face as he tried to keep from flinching and maintain an expressionless face. He instead turned his attention to the people who were getting off and on the train. She watched his gaze follow a young couple, probably around the same age as himself and Ginny, get up and a young mother and a small boy replace them. Once the train had started once again, she felt him relax against her supportive arm and turn his attention to the ads above the seats on the opposite side. -------------------------------------- --------------------- When the train had finally started moving along slowly, Harry relaxed against the seat. The ride had so far almost lasted an hour and he was starting to get bored, so he started re-reading the ads on the board across from them, watching the countryside outside the window flash by. As he glanced out the window, he caught sight of a small blonde haired boy almost across from him, staring apprehensively at him. Harry looked away, thrown off by the intensity of the gaze the small boy was giving him. And then out of curiosity, Harry snuck a peek back to find the kid still looking at him, furrowing his eyes at him as he studied Harry. This small child's attention was beginning to make Harry feel a bit uncomfortable. The boy looked away as he caught Harry glance back at him, and then tugged lightly on his mother's sleeve as she was engrossed in a magazine on her lap. "What is it?" she said quietly, not looking up from her fashion magazine that featured a very curvy famous muggle actress. "Mum look," he said quietly, sneaking a covert peek under his mother's arm towards Harry. "In a minute..." the woman said, smiling a bit and continuing to turn the page of her magazine. "Mum...look at that boy," the little boy whispered, looking from his mother to Harry, who was trying his hardest to look away and ignore him. Harry kept looking resolutely away, pretending to be occupied with the front page of newspaper that a man near them was reading. But the woman must have looked up, because Harry heard her harsh whispers reprimanding the small boy. "That's not very nice Chris," she said quietly. "Let's mind ourselves now." "But Mum..." Harry heard the little boy whine quietly back, "What happened to him? His arm--" "Shhhh..." the mother said quietly. Harry picked that moment to glance up at the mother, who at the same time had glanced over at Harry to see if he had heard any of her exchange with her son. Their eyes met and the women looked apologetically and slightly horrified that he had heard her. Harry tried to wrench his eyes away, making it appear that he was oblivious. "I'm so sorry," she said to him and Harry turned to look at her. "Sometimes he doesn't know his manners and says things--" "That's ok," Harry said quickly, trying to act as nonplussed as possible. But he had to admit that having that little boy ask about him had made him incredibly uncomfortable. Was the kid scared of him? Was he just curious? Harry really didn't know, but realized that at that age, he probably would have been interested if he had seen someone with an arm missing. Though he knew he would have never dreamed of asking questions because the Dursley's would have answered him with a swat of the hand or a grumbled 'shut your mouth boy.' "No..." the mother answered back, "I'm really sorry to have bothered you sir." Harry glanced at the boy who had shrunk behind his mother's arm, looking up occasionally to glance at Harry. His gaze wasn't curious anymore, but scared and shocked that Harry had noticed him. This, probably more than the exchange he had heard, bothered him more than anything. It was one thing to have been pointed at and whispered about, but to have the boy afraid of him...well...that hit a nerve. So Harry did what he could to diffuse the situation. He shook his head at the mother and smiled politely at the boy, leaning forward. He took his hand from Ginny's grasp, who was watching him cautiously and interestedly, and held it out to the boy who was still hiding behind his mother. "My name's Harry," Harry said, offering his hand, "What's yours?" The little boy stared cautiously at Harry's outstretched hand, looking up at his mother for instructions on what to do. The woman nodded towards Harry's hand and whispered 'go on' encouragingly. "Christopher," the boy said shyly, "My name's Christopher." With that he hesitantly reached out and shook Harry's hand returning a small smile. Harry let go of the boys hand, noticing a mesh beach bag with various sand-castle making toys and water devices. "Are you and your mum going to the water park?" Harry asked, looking at the mother for confirmation and recognition that him talking to this boy was ok. She nodded lightly, smiling down at her son who was nodding and bending down to brandish his beach bag. "Yeah...mum says I can ride the big slide too when I get there," the little boy said excitedly. "That sounds like fun," Harry replied, meaning it completely. He had never been allowed to go with the Dursleys when they took Dudley to places like that and he wondered how it would be. "Uuh huh...where are you going? You're dressed up....are you going to a party?" the boy asked, forgetting some of his shyness that he had first had with Harry. "No...just....just to the city for...some business," said Harry, searching for terms that the boy would understand. "Oh..." the boy said nodding and sitting back in his seat, furrowing his face again and looking at Harry as though he was thinking of saying something. "What happened to your arm?" he finally asked quietly, looking down in case Harry was mad at this question. Harry paused and looked up at the mother who was looking down disappointedly at her son that he couldn't keep his curiosity in check, before casting Harry another apologetic look. "I was in a car accident," Harry said suddenly, leaning forward. Ginny put a supportive hand on his knee and Harry could feel her tense in surprise that he was sharing this. "I wasn't wearing my lap belt and when the car crashed...my arm was injured and I had to lose it." The boy nodded, taking in what Harry had told him, looking as though he were contemplating something else. "How old were you?" the little boy questioned. "Sixteen," Harry answered. "How old are you now?" the little boy asked, trying to gauge Harry's current age in his mind. "Seventeen," Harry said quietly. He glanced up at the mother who gave Harry a grateful look that said she was thankful that he was taking the time and being so understanding with her son. A flash of sympathy flitted across her features as she realized that the accident couldn't have been that long ago for Harry and that it must be hard for someone so young to go through an event like that. "Did it hurt?" the kid asked quietly. Harry stopped and swallowed. He had to ask himself that question. Over the last few weeks he hadn't allowed himself to dwell on the accident or consider the trauma that he had gone through. As he took a moment to think and figure out his own answer to that, he also had to think of how much would be appropriate to share with this young boy. "No," Harry answered quietly, shaking his head and breathing deeply. "I hit my head and was asleep for most of it." "I don't remember it," Harry lied quietly both to the boy and himself. The little boy seemed to let out a breath and a sigh of relief that Harry had not suffered. It made him a bit more at ease as he studied the seventeen year old in front of him. "Harry..." Ginny interrupted, "This is our stop." Harry turned to acknowledge Ginny who was watching him with a slightly amused and concerned look. "Oh," He replied, a bit shocked that they had arrived there already. "It was nice meeting you both," Harry said as Ginny helped him to his feet and he turned to follow the queue out the door. "Bye Harry," the boy called enthusiastically. Harry turned to look over his shoulder to see the boy waving enthusiastically at him. The boy's mother smiled and nodded in thanks as Ginny, Harry, Remus and Arthur made their way out of the train and onto the crowded station platform. ----------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ------- "This is it," Mr. Weasley said as he looked at the etched glass markings on the door to a beautiful brick building that the four of them were standing in front of. It had turned out that the office was only a block and a half away from the station and it had been a nice short walk in the warm sun. Harry had enjoyed walking hand in hand down the street with Ginny, passing various shops and people as they made their way there. It had almost made everything fade away and gave him a bit of a dose of what a normal relationship could entail. The four of them entered the building, Mr. Weasley forcing himself to behave in this Muggle-rich setting as best as he could. Walking down a long hallway and into a small waiting room, Harry made his way over to a window where a woman in a business suit was sitting, talking quietly on a headset. Harry waited patiently until the woman was off the phone and had turned to him. "I'm here for the reading of a will for Petunia and Vernon Dursley," he said quietly, instinctively whispering in the quiet, sterile atmosphere. The women nodded and began to type away on her keyboard. "Your name?" she said rather dryly. "Potter, Harry James Potter," Harry replied, repeating his full name to the woman. "I'll need to some identification for authorization purposes...a driver's permit or any other photo ID will do," she repeated, pulling various forms out of bins on her desk and making notes on them. Harry stomach plummeted as his hand went to his pocket searching for his wallet which he knew only held wizard money, some muggle notes and a few pictures. He had had a library card a long time ago when they were required for school, but he had been eight or nine at the time. Maybe he could make an excuse that he forgot it in his other coat or something... He opened his wallet, just to make an excuse when he noticed a shiny new driver's permit in the front slot behind the plastic protector where a picture of him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny was usually placed. He pulled the permit out, glancing at it and shaking his head. His picture, one from before the accident, and all of his vital information were typed neatly on it. He hesitantly put it on the counter for the woman, who took it and began to copy his information the forms. He stole a glance at Ginny who was looking just as confused as he was. She raised her eyebrows at him and looked questioningly as if saying 'where did you get that?' Harry only shrugged and raised his eyebrows in return, taking back his fake ID that the lady had handed back to him. "You're a bit early," the woman told him, "The chambers won't be available for another fifteen or so minutes...so you can have a seat in the waiting area." The woman pointed to a group of stuffy chairs on the other side of the room. "Someone will be out to get you when it's time." Harry nodded and mumbled a quick thanks before retreating to the chairs and taking a seat on the sofa with Ginny. Remus and Mr. Weasley sat in two chairs opposite the couple. "Harry....where did you get a driver's permit from?" Ginny asked him quietly. But before he could answer, Remus interrupted. "I did that," he admitted. "I quickly conjured something and flashed to your wallet." "I was a bit worried there for a second," Harry admitted. "Thanks." Remus nodded in acknowledgement. The next fifteen minutes went rather quickly. Mr. Weasley and Remus chatted quietly about unknown things, presumably Order business. Ginny and Harry chatted quietly on the couch, making plans to get something to eat and then go visit the churchyard where his aunt and uncle had been laid to rest. "Mr. Potter," came a man's voice from a door on the other side of the room. The man looked around at the party sitting on the couches, looking for recognition of the name. Harry stood up slowly. "Right here," Harry replied, crossing the room with Ginny and the others in tow, following the man as he held open the door to a long hallway. "My name is Jenson Meyers, Vernon and Petunia's attorney," the man said as he held out his hand to Harry. Harry shook it solidly. "I was sorry to hear about the loss of your aunt and uncle," he added as he led the group down the hallway towards two solid oak doors at the end. Harry nodded in recognition and followed the man, noticing the expensive wear of his suit and shoes as they clicked along the marble floor. "This shouldn't take long," he added as he paused outside the doors. "It's a small reading, seeing as it was a sudden and unpredictable incident," referring to the accident, Mr. Meyers looked sadly at Harry, knowing that he had been involved. When the man said it would be a small reading, he knew that Dudley would probably be there, along with some of Petunia's gossip buddies, but couldn't think of who else would be. The man pushed open the door and revealed a small conference room, where a smooth wooden table sat in the middle, surrounded by high-backed, cushioned chairs. The only person Harry could see in the room was another distinguished looking man that was going over papers in his briefcase. There was no Dudley and none of the neighborhood women that Petunia met with weekly were present. As Harry entered the room, still holding Ginny's hand, he went to sit in an empty seat at the end of the table. He froze as he noticed a woman sitting in one of the high-backed chairs that he hadn't noticed as he had surveyed the room at first. "I was wondering where the boy had gone," Marjorie Dursley's gruff voice sounded as she surveyed him with an eagle eye. "Aunt Marge," Harry said as politely as he could manage, inclining his head towards her as he took a seat opposite her, Ginny at his side and Remus at his other. Before she could say whatever spiteful things about him she had on her mind, the attorney who had led him in cleared his throat to get the attention of the room. "All parties are present. I believe Mrs. Marjorie Dursley, Mr. Dursley's sister," he said introducing everyone and trying to names correct. "And Mr. Harry Potter, Mrs. Dursley's nephew from her deceased sister, Lily Potter," he said nodding at Harry. He then looked questioningly at Ginny, Remus, and Mr. Weasley as if confused to their presence. "This is my girlfriend...Ginny Weasley and her father...Arthur. This is my former professor and old family friend...Mr. Remus Lupin," Harry interjected. "I brought them along...for...err...support." The lawyer nodded and went to continue. "Alright," he said. "Mr. Dudley Dursley, named in the will, has decided not to attend this reading for personal reasons and will instead be represented by his lawyer Mr. Claude Wimple." Mr. Meyers pointed at the professional looking man who had been going over his notes in a briefcase. "If things are in order...we can begin." ----------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- The lawyer had been right. The reading was rather short, seeing as Dudley had been left the house, the car, most of the Dursley's money, all of his father's stocks in Grunnings, and pretty much every possession that the Dursley's had ever owned. Aunt Marge had been left a small sum of money and (to Harry's horror) the custody of both Harry and Dudley until they were eighteen and legal in the muggle world. Harry was about to exlaim his objections vehemently when the lawyer interrupted with some good news. "Both Mr. Dursley, the younger and Mr. Potter have been approved of their applications for legal emancipation and are considered adults by the legal system of this country. They are both free to reside wherever they please and to come into their inherited objects from this will," the lawyer finished, passing Harry a copy of his approved document. Harry scrutinized the document. Everything had been filled out in what looked like his handwriting, explaining how he had the means and the support to live on his own. He looked questioningly at Mr. Weasley who gave him an assuring glance and then smiled. Harry figured that this had been the doing of the Order and he to admit, though he felt a little like his privacy had been invaded, he was rather grateful to be saved from having to live with his uncle's sister. "Finally..." the lawyer began, "Mr. Potter, you have been left several items of sentimental value from your aunt." A sealed cardboard box was placed in front of Harry as the man addressed him. Harry brought the box towards himself, reading the fine, curly script on the top of it that read: To Harry, From Petunia. "That brings us to the conclusion of this reading. I have few documents I need you all to sign to verify your acceptance of your inheritance and then you are free to go," Mr. Meyers said as he passed out several pieces of paper to both Harry and Aunt Marge. Harry started to read over the paper and then stopped when he couldn't make head or foot of all the legal jargon it contained. Trusting that it meant he could take the box and go, he shakily signed his name on the line with his left hand, stopping to make sure that whoever legalized these documents could tell it was him that signed it. When he was finished he handed the papers to the lawyer. "Thank you for your time Mr. Potter," he said quietly, "You may leave whenever you’re ready." Harry nodded and then looked over to the others to make sure they were ready. Getting the green light to leave, Harry got up from his chair, just as his Aunt Marge did. As both made their way towards the door they couldn't help but cross paths. "It was good to see you boy," she said in her husky voice. Harry started in suprise. That was the most civil thing she had ever said to him. What shocked him more was the look of sympathy and genuine concern she was now viewing him with. "You as well," Harry replied, trying not to sound too rattled. "I have to say," she said, looking him over with an approving nod, "you're not the skinny little runt I remember. You seem to have grown into quite a respectable looking young man. I see you've even tamed that delinquint hair of yours." Harry managed a nod, all the while wondering if hell had frozen over and he had missed it. "Well...I must be going," she said, nodding to him and the others. She started towards the door in front of them and then stopped, turning suddenly to face them. "I...I was...very sorry to hear you were injured," she said, putting a hand gently on his left arm, taking him by suprise once again. "I heard it was quite serious," she said as she looked over at his missing arm, "but I'm glad to see you up and well. I hope things go well for you in the future." And with that she left, heading down the hall, her heals echoeing off the marble floor, leaving a stunned and confused Harry standing at the door, watching her stride away. "Are you ready?" asked Remus as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder, shaking Harry back to reality. "Yeah..." he said as he watched Marge disapear through a door.”Yeah..." he breathed again. A/N: I know....an odd place to end, but it sets up the next chapter quite nice so we can just pick up where I left off. The next chapter should be up in two or three days now. I know I said there would be Sara and Dudley in this chapter, but ideas popped in and took up space and time. But I PROMISE YOU....I repeat...promise you that they will be a big part of the next chapter. I also wanted to take the time to acknowledge the overwhelming and continued response to this story, both reading and reviews. Thanks! |
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