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Harry Potter and the Secrets He's Kept | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General, Romance Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mild Language, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse Rating: R Reviews: 46 Summary: Sequel to Harry Potter and the Secrets Revealed. Harry and friends have rewound time, and gone back to the end of Harry's second year. Harry must now try to change the future without making Dumbledore suspicious, and harder yet, without Voldemort finding out. Hitcount: Story Total: 48279; Chapter Total: 5978 |
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Harry turned to his godfather as Rita walked away. “Well, that went well.” “Harry,” Sirius began, looking surprisingly serious. “Didn’t you ever tell anyone about the abuse?” “Yeah, of course,” Harry said, surprised to be asked that. “I told a teacher before, but they thought I made it up and told the Dursleys what I said, so I got in trouble. I figured, why bother telling anyone at Hogwarts because they had to have already known about it. My first letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs.” Sirius growled. “Oh! Sirius!” Harry said suddenly. “The day I went to the Ministry for your trial, they checked my wand, and the guard handed me this note,” he said as he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. Sirius fumed silently as he read about the spells that had been placed on Harry’s wand. “THAT IS IT!” he yelled suddenly. “Moony! We’re teaching Harry EVERYTHING about being a Marauder so he can get back at Dumbledore!” Remus smirked and an evil glint appeared in his eyes. “I have an idea,” he said. The two men and Harry walked back to the Dursleys’, and Remus led the way to Dudley’s bedroom. “Hmm, this’ll work,” he said, picking up 'Alien Destroyer III'. The two Marauders worked carefully for the next ten minutes on removing all of the charms and placing them on one of Dudley’s computer games. Dumbledore wouldn’t suspect a thing until too late. - - - They Apparated to Grimmauld Place, Sirius’ family home, to use the floo to get to Potter Manor. Sirius had ordered the insane elf, Kreacher, to have the house clean by the end of the summer. The elf was to give him an updated report once a week. Kreacher had, surprisingly, taken the order well. It seemed he was bored from only taking orders from a portrait rather than a human master. Kreacher was even more obedient once Sirius told him that any photos of the Black family could be put in a photo album for him to keep. This was on Harry’s suggestion, and Sirius was shocked to see Kreacher’s eyes well up with tears of joy. Once the house was clean, Sirius was going to hire the Gringotts Goblins to destroy any Dark Artifacts that the house held. He would also have them remove any Dark books to place in a special vault that would only be able to open to those with pure motives. “Aah, it’s good to be home,” Sirius said later, as the trio entered the foyer of Potter Manor. Harry was awed by the smooth marble floors, the high ceilings, and the giant crystal chandelier. There was a large curving staircase that led to the second story, and according to Sirius and Remus, there was another one on the east wing of the second floor to get to the third floor. There was also a huge attic, which held some very rare and expensive antiques that were occasionally swapped with what was in the main rooms just to have variety. Sirius called for the house elves. “Tibby! Jibber!” Instantly two tiny, middle aged house elves appeared. Both were wearing crisp white pillowcases tied with gold drapery tassels. “Mister Sirius! Mister Remus!” they cried out together. “It is being too long since Tibby and Jibber is seeing you,” Tibby, the female elf, declared. “Yes, it has,” Remus murmured. Harry grinned. “Hi,” he said suddenly, capturing the attention of the elves. “Is it Master Harry?” Jibber, the male elf, asked in awe. Tibby squealed. “It is, it is… he is having Mistress Lily’s eyes!” Harry knelt and gently hugged each elf, earning looks of pure adoration. “I insist that you call me Harry, not Master Harry.” Both elves nodded quickly, anxious to please their new master. “Could one of you please bring Harry’s trunk up to the master suite for him,” Sirius asked. “Remus and I will bring our own things here tomorrow.” “Of course, Mister Sirius,” Jibber said, snapping his fingers and making the trunk disappear. Tibby smiled. “Is you to be living here now?” she asked Harry hopefully. “Yes,” he said decisively. She squealed again and said. “Misters Remus and Sirius is being put in their old rooms.” Both men grinned in response. “'The Tower' is to be cleaned out for good Harry to use with his friends,” she added. “What’s 'The Tower'?” Harry asked. Sirius grinned. “It’s an actual tower at the back of the west wing. You can only enter it through the attic, oddly enough. It’s also where your dad would practice his animagus transformation and me too, when I was visiting. I didn’t actually move in here until my fifth year after we had both already completed the transformation.” Remus grinned. “You’ll like it. It’s done in Gryffindor colors, and has some Muggle and magical games in it.” “There’s also a pool table on the second level, and a Potions lab on the basement level. And you get to each level using what Lily called firemen’s poles,” Sirius added. “Wicked,” Harry breathed then said, “Hang on. Even going up?” “Yep,” Sirius confirmed nodding. “Hey, I wonder if we could get a snack of pizza. I’m starving.” He looked hopeful. “Well, let’s go to the kitchen and ask,” Remus suggested. “Walk THIS way,” Sirius said, grinning madly, as he began to walk like a zombie. Harry looked at Remus and arched a brow in question, but Remus just shrugged and began to walk after Sirius, also like a zombie. Harry rolled his eyes then shrugged. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” he muttered, and followed their lead. - - - After a delicious snack of four meat pizza, Sirius led Harry up the stairs to the second story, and to the right. They walked down a wide corridor until they came to a set of wide, oak double doors. Sirius threw them open to reveal an even larger corridor that was about the same size as the entryway but longer. They walked past the staircase that the Marauders had mentioned earlier, and down the corridor toward the very front of the house. Sirius stopped at the end of the hall, by the huge windows that showed a beautiful view of the front lawn. He then opened the huge double doors on the left. Despite their size, they swung open easily and silently. “Lumos,” Sirius said, and the room was suddenly filled with light, coming from a smaller version of the same chandelier that was in the entrance hall. Harry’s mouth fell open in shock. There was a large cherry wood, four-poster bed directly opposite him that looked as though he’d need a ladder to climb onto it. It had a beautiful gold silk coverlet and lots of plump pillows in gold and emerald green. There was a large window on the right wall, and two smaller ones flanking the bed; all of the windows were framed by gold silk drapes. The left wall held two doors with a giant fireplace centered between them, and framed with wooden shelves which were filled with books. A painting of Hogwarts hung above the fireplace, and the walls were all painted green. A giant, over-stuffed couch sat in front of the fireplace, and was upholstered in green and gold damask. Making a u-shape with the couch were two cushy chairs, one in gold with a green pillow, and the other in green with a gold pillow. The couch also had a white hand-knit afghan with the initials 'LE & JP' on it in gold lettering. The wall the door was on, held a dresser on the side nearest the fireplace, and a large wooden desk and matching chair on the other. Harry walked to the door nearest him, and was surprised to find that it was a walk-in closet the size of Dudley’s second bedroom, and it already held his neatly hung-up robes. He exited the closet and entered the other door, which led to the largest bathroom he’d ever seen. It held a large tub that was big enough for two people, a giant walk-in shower, a large linen closet filled with gold fluffy towels, and a long counter that held two sinks and had a large gold-framed mirror hanging above it. Harry left the bathroom, his eyes wide, and sat heavily down on the nearest chair. “Wow,” was all he could say. Remus and Sirius were both grinning in amusement at Harry’s awe. - - - The next morning Harry woke to the early morning sun shining on his face. Thankfully he was a morning person otherwise the fact that his room faced the east would have been a big problem. He hurriedly got dressed in a track suit and went down to the kitchens. “Erm, Tibby, is there anywhere here that I can go to run laps?” he asked the enthusiastic elf. “Yes, Harry, sir, there is. You can be making laps ‘round the Quidditch pitch. Tibby is showing you where,” she said, hopping down from her step ladder that she used as she washed some potatoes in the sink. She hurried over and grasped his right hand firmly in her own smaller left one. She led him out the back door and down a cobbled path for about a half-mile. There it was… a professional sized Quidditch pitch. Harry caught himself just before he started drooling. “Thanks Tibby, I’ll be inside in a bit,” he said, still staring up at the large golden hoops. He shook his head to clear it then took a deep breath, and started his laps. He made it five laps, about four miles, which was twice as good as he’d done in Little Whinging. He then began to stretch. He’d forgotten to do it yesterday, and if he remembered correctly from Primary school, it was necessary to avoid getting cramps. Harry walked back up to the house, where he was informed that no one else was up yet. He walked back up to his room, and showered quickly so he could get some breakfast. He was starving. When he entered the kitchen again, Remus was already up and drinking a steaming mug of coffee. “Good morning, Remus,” Harry said cheerfully. Remus glared at him. “Dear Merlin, help me. You’re a morning person,” he grumbled. “Yup,” Harry replied. “I always have been.” “You take after Lily. There was no getting James up until after noon during the summer,” Remus said, taking another sip of the scalding black liquid in his mug. Harry sat down heavily on one of the chairs and poured himself a tall glass of pumpkin juice. Jibber floated over some platters if pancakes, bacon and sausage, a bottle of maple syrup, and a bowl of scrambled eggs. Two plates appeared, one in front of Harry, and the other in front of Remus. Both of them began loading up their plates with as much food as they could fit on them, as a yawning, pajama clad Sirius entered the room, scratching his bum. “Mawnin,” he muttered, dropping into a chair, his head drooping as though he was too tired to hold it up. “Good morning, Sirius,” Harry said cheerfully, snickering at Sirius’ serious case of bed head. Sirius groaned loudly, collapsing face first onto the plate of food Remus had just served him. “You’re Lily,” he muttered. He suddenly popped up into a sitting position when Remus pressed a steaming cup of tea into one of his hands. Sirius quickly downed the tea, regardless of the heat. Remus poured him another cup, as the gray-eyed Marauder began to scarf down his breakfast. They had only just finished breakfast when Jibber suddenly appeared, holding a scroll of parchment. “An owl is just delivering this for Harry, sir,” he said, offering it to Harry. “The owl is waiting a response in Master James’ office.” “Thank you, Jibber,” Harry said somewhat distracted as he opened the scroll. “I’ll show him the office in a little bit, Jibber,” Sirius said, allowing the elf to go back to what he had been doing before. “It’s the article,” Harry said. Both men’s heads shot up. “You read it, Sirius.” He held out the scroll. His godfather took it gingerly, as though it were a snake, and unfurling it, read… - - - The Boy-Who-Lived Speaks Out For the First Time We all know the story of the boy-who-lived; how as a baby, he defeated he-who-must-not-be-named, who at the time was at the height of his power. But what happened to him afterwards? Where did he go? What has his life been like? This reporter was offered an exclusive interview with him. Given his fame, I had expected him to be larger-than-life. The Harry Potter I met, however, far surpasses my wildest expectations. The following is my word-for-word interview with Mr. Potter. RS: So, Mr. Potter, tell me about your childhood. HP: Well, the important thing to remember is that there are good Muggles and bad Muggles, just as there are good wizards and bad ones. My aunt and her family are the bad kind. Up until I started school, I didn’t know what my name was. I thought it was 'Boy' or 'Freak'. I lived in the cupboard under the stairs up until I got my Hogwarts letter. That’s when my family thought they might be being watched so they gave me Dudley’s second bedroom. RS: Did you say ‘second bedroom’? HP: Yeah, his first bedroom was where he slept and kept most of his things, but his second bedroom was where he kept all of his broken toys and books, not that he ever read any of them. My aunt worked me like a house-elf most of the time. ‘Work for your keep, you ungrateful brat,’ she’d say. I learned to cook by the time I was five. I could garden like a professional when I was three, and I did almost all of the cleaning. The only time I wasn’t working was when I was locked in my cupboard. And on the occasions where I’d do accidental magic, I’d be locked in my cupboard without food for days at a time. Or if Uncle Vernon was in a really bad mood, he’d beat me up. Then I’d get in even more trouble for healing faster than I should’ve. I lost track of the number of broken bones I had before I was ten. RS: So what kind of accidental magic did you do... besides healing yourself of course? HP: Oh. I once turned my teacher's wig blue, shrank a hideously ugly sweater that my aunt tried to force me to wear, and I even Apparated onto the roof of my primary school’s kitchens. My cousin and his gang were chasing me, and the next thing I knew, I was up there. RS: Really. What do you remember about your parents? HP: Not much. I remember my Mum being murdered. RS: What happened? HP: Voldemort told her to step aside. He wanted to kill me, but she could’ve lived. She refused, then there was a green flash of light, and he was laughing. His laugh was high and shrill, like something out of a horror film. RS: Do you remember anything else about your parents? HP: Sometimes, I can almost smell her perfume. Light and flowery. And I can almost remember my dad’s laugh; he did that a lot you know... laugh. I remember my mum’s chocolate biscuits. They were the best. And my dad used to pick me up under my arms and pretend that I was flying. That’s it though. RS: I noticed that you said You-know-who’s name, aren’t you scared? HP: No, I’ve faced him three times and lived, why should I fear him? Besides, Dumbledore says that fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. I think everyone should call him by his name. No more of that You-know-who stuff. If people aren’t comfortable with calling him Voldemort, then they should call him ‘Tom’. That’s his real name you know, ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’. He just rearranged the letters to come up with ‘I am Lord Voldemort’. Stupid isn’t it? RS: Now that your godfather is free, will you go to live with him? HP: It’s what my parents wanted, and he wants me, so yeah! It beats living with the Dursleys. RS: Tell me about Hogwarts, what do you think about it? HP: Hogwarts, it’s my first real home. I belong there, in the magical world. I belong in a way I never knew was possible. I have friends there too. I never had any before, because Dudley would beat up anyone who was nice to me. RS: Tell me about your friends. HP: Well, there’s Hagrid, my first friend ever. He bought me my owl, Hedwig. RS: Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts? HP: Yeah, he took me shopping for my school supplies and bought me some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's.” RS: What about people your own age? HP: Ron Weasley and I became friends on the train to Hogwarts. He taught me about Quidditch, and told me about Chocolate Frog cards and stuff like that. It’s great. Then there’s Hermione. She’s the smartest in our year, and she’s always pushing me and Ron to study more. She’s like – like my older sister or something. Always trying to take care of me. It’s a great feeling. Then there’s the twins, Fred and George Weasley. When the whole school thought that I was the Heir of Slytherin. (Harry laughed here). They made fun of it, made me feel better. Like there were at least some people who knew I would never hurt anyone. And now there’s even Ginny Weasley. She’s brilliant, as smart as Hermione, and as funny as the twins, and as loyal as Ron. I probably spent all of my time after classes ended this past term, just hanging out by the lake with her. RS: Do you have more friends? HP: Oh, yeah! There’s Neville Longbottom. He’s really nice. In fact, he’s even been teaching me about the different things that I have to know for when I come of age. You know, laws and things about finances. He knows a lot about it too. And there’s also Luna Lovegood. I really hate it when people tease her. She’s awfully kind; different, yes, but that’s part of what I like about her. She’s refreshing; she gives everything a different perspective. RS: You’re also the youngest Quidditch player in a century, yes? HP: That’s what Professor McGonagall said. Wood, my Quidditch captain, makes us train really hard. He really wants to win the Quidditch Cup before he graduates next year, and I for one am going to work my hardest to help him get it. He’s good enough to play professionally, I reckon. And we have three amazing chasers on our team: Katie, Angelina and Alicia. They can practically read each other’s minds, they’re that good. And I honestly believe that Fred and George, who are our Beaters, CAN read each other’s minds. As soon as I leave the ground and start flying, I just feel amazing. The first time I got in the air, it was as though I’d been waiting for it all my life. I feel at peace, you know. It’s even better when I’m chasing the Snitch. Forget the other players, or even the other Seeker. It’s just me and that tiny gold ball. Everything else fades away. RS: What do you think about your Professors? HP: Well, Professor McGonagall is strict but fair. She seems really tough, but you can just tell that she really does care about her students. Professor Flitwick is a blast. He’s so cheerful, and he makes Charms fun. Every class with him is interesting. Professor Snape tends to favor Slytherin, but that’s not as bad as it seems. A lot of the time, it feels like it’s the rest of the school against the Slytherins and that’s not fair to them. Professor Sprout is nice, and she takes her teaching seriously. The other Professors are okay. As for the Headmaster, though, he’s not bad. I just really have issues with him knowing about my relatives’ abuse but still making me come back during the summer. Madam Pomfrey, the Healer at school, is awesome though. I really trust her, which is good because I tend to wind up in Hospital Wing a lot. (Harry laughed at this point). RS: I understand that you have had two Defense Professors so far. What did you think about them? HP: Well, Quirrell had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head, so I really didn’t like him. He tried to kill me too. If it weren’t for my mother’s blood protection, I’d probably be dead. And Lockhart was terrible; he was a complete fraud. Our first class with him, he gave us a test on his books. It had questions about his favorite color and his Christmas wish, but nothing about defense. He confessed to me and my friend Ron that he interviewed other people and wrote about their accomplishments, making them seem like his own. The reason no one ever came forward about it was because he Obliviated them all. He tried to Obliviate us too, but he was using Ron’s broken wand, and the spell backfired, erasing his memories instead. Poetic justice if you ask me. RS: Given everything you’ve been through at Hogwarts, do you feel safe there? HP: I don’t really feel safe anywhere. I mean, the person who betrayed my parents was living as a rat in my friend Ron’s house. I was nearly murdered by a Professor, and another one tried to erase my memories. I don’t trust the Headmaster, because what kind of a person would make a child live with people who abuse him. I trust my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, my godfather Sirius, Remus Lupin, Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall. I don’t really trust anyone else, because I either don’t know them well enough, or they’ve betrayed me in some way. Actually, I also trust Madam Bones. She seems really smart, and she truly wants to see justice done. And I also trust Griphook, a Goblin at Gringotts; Dobby, the house-elf who saved my life; and also Firenze, a Centaur who saved my life. RS: Really? But they’re not human. HP: So what? Griphook knows a lot about finances, and I know I can trust him with mine. Firenze saved me from being attacked by Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, and Dobby warned me that someone was going to do something at Hogwarts this past year. What does it matter that they aren’t human? RS: (Harry had his godfather, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin with him) You do know that Mr. Lupin is a werewolf, don’t you? HP: Really? (Harry said to Mr. Lupin who simply nodded). Oh. So what? He’s only a werewolf during the full moon, and I know him enough to know that he’d lock himself up during those times, so he’s not a risk. It isn’t his fault he was bitten. (Harry shrugged). RS: Do you have anything else you’d like to add? HP: Not that I’m aware of. After the interview came to a close, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to do an in depth investigation into his life with his aunt. What I found was a home that held no sign of his ever having lived there. There wasn’t even a photo of him in the house. When I looked inside the cupboard under the stairs, my eyes met a most horrifying sight. I found a rickety and bare cot with not a sheet on it. A childhood drawing was pinned to the wall with a thumbtack. The picture showed a small boy with green eyes and black hair standing with his arms outstretched towards a man also with black hair and a woman with red. Written at the bottom in a childish scrawl were the words ‘My parents’. The mattress told an even worse story than the drawing did; there were stains on it that could only have been bodily fluids, including copious amounts of blood and vomit. I wouldn’t have expected a room like this for even the most abused house elf. Upon questioning the neighbors, I found out that Harry was the only member of that family ever seen doing any work. Worse yet, the neighbors had been told by his aunt that Harry was going to a school for ‘Incurably Criminal Boys’. The words, ‘Dudley’s second bedroom’ led me upstairs. I found a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, Dudley’s bedroom, and a room with nothing more that a small bed with an ancient mattress (also with blood stains and no sheets), an empty wardrobe, dresser, a scratched up desk, a chair that had uneven legs, and one small shelf on the wall. More horrifying than even this, was the bedroom door. I had noticed a small lock on the door to the cupboard under the stairs and thought nothing of it. The bedroom door however, had four different locks on it, and a cat flap. However, the family doesn’t have a pet. This leads to questions I dare not ask in fear of what the response would inevitably be. Upon examining the outside of the house, I noticed some damage to Harry’s window frame. Damage that could only have come from a set of iron bars being ripped away, but there was no sign of any other window having had bars in the past. Why would someone bar a single window on the second story? It was obviously not to keep someone out, but rather, to keep someone in. The evidence points to nothing less than neglect and abuse. Yet despite all the odds, Harry is a most extraordinary young man. He is not blinded by the prejudices that are so common in our world. And, unlike most others, he is brave enough to insult Voldemort. Harry should be an inspiration to all of us. He is to me. I will no longer cower in fear of saying the name Voldemort. I vow to treat Goblins, Centaurs, Giants, Elves, Veelas, and all other beings as my equals. I ask all of my readers to do the same, in honor of this amazing and powerful young man. By Rita Skeeter - - - ‘Wow,’ Harry thought to himself. ‘That’s better than I’d expected.’ Sirius looked up from the article and said, “I think this is perfect. You should sign it, and send it back to her.” “Yes,” Remus agreed. “This could do a lot to change our world for the better.” So Harry signed the parchment, and Sirius showed him the office that Jibber had mentioned. Harry was pleased to find a plank spot on the wall above the fireplace, which would be perfect for Godric’s portrait. Tibby was sent to get the Auror trunk from Remus’ room. He had shrunk it down in the vault yesterday and placed it in his pocket, but he forgot all about it until he was getting ready for bed. Tibby popped into the room and placed the tiny trunk on the floor then she popped out again. “Engorgio,” Remus said, pointing his wand at it. Sirius popped open the top and stepped back so Remus could climb in. A minute later, Remus climbed back out, carrying Godric and complaining about lazy mutts. “I’d thought you boys had forgotten all about me for a while there,” Godric said as Remus hung him up. “It’s nice to be here. By the way, there wouldn’t happen to be any portraits of some beautiful women anywhere in this manor, would there?” he asked hopefully. Sirius grinned. “Sure, just check on the third floor in the east wing.” “Thanks,” Godric said and left through the left side of his frame. Sirius suddenly began to grin even more. “It’s time we took you shopping Harry,” he said. “Why? I have plenty of clothes,” Harry said. “Not robes,” Remus said. “And you might think that you have enough clothes, but you don’t,” Sirius said. “We also need to take you to an optometrist to get your eyes checked out. The Dursleys,” he spat the name, “never took you for any check-ups, did they?” Harry blushed. “I also need new robes,” Sirius said. He turned suddenly and appraised Remus. “So does Remus,” he added. “Ha-ha,” Harry said, grinning at the werewolf. Remus blushed. “No I don’t. Besides I can’t afford any,” he muttered. Harry shook his head. “Not true. My tutor in all things magical and legal needs to be dressed appropriately, and as such, is going to be paid a fair bit of money,” he said. “We’ll have to arrange that at Gringotts.” Sirius grinned. “See Remus, now you have no excuse. You know Harry needs that tutoring. The Dursleys wouldn’t teach him anything useful in our world even if their lives depended on it.” Remus rolled his eyes and moaned out, “Fine.” When he turned around to leave the room, Sirius and Harry high-fived each other behind his back. “I saw that!” he said from the hallway. “How did he do that?” Sirius and Harry said together. - - - After completing their business in Gringotts, Remus led the way to Madam Malkin’s Robes For All Occasions. Sirius and Harry were walking about ten feet in back of him when Sirius whispered, “Then we’ll buy dung-bombs, and…” “No you won’t,” Remus called out without turning around. Sirius’ jaw fell open. Again, both he and Harry said, “How did he do that?” Remus held open the door of the shop for the other two, and he flicked Sirius on the back of his head as he walked past. “OW!” Sirius moaned loudly, rubbing the back of his head. Remus was looking at robes for Harry on the other side of the room when Sirius muttered, “Damn werewolf,” under his breath. “Sirius!” Remus snapped, “Watch your language!” “How did he do that?” Harry shrugged and joined Remus, looking through the racks. After trying on what Harry believed to be half the store, the other half being women’s clothes, they still only had three robes for Harry. At last, Madam Malkin offered to custom make some, and the hunt began all over again, but for the adults this time. Sirius was on his twenty-fifth robe in gray, the color Madam Malkin’s assistance kept foisting on him, when Remus came in carrying ten more gray robes that he hadn’t tried on yet. Remus dumped the load onto the bench in the fitting room and left again. “Sometimes, I think Remus is woman trapped in a man’s body,” Sirius muttered to a grinning Harry. “I heard that, and it won’t go unpunished!” Remus called out from the front of the store. “How did he do that?” Harry said loudly. True to his word, Remus came back with twenty more gray robes for Sirius to try on that had been in the back store-room. “Have fun trying on your punishment,” Remus said cheerfully as he dumped the load right onto Sirius’ head. Harry barely held back a snicker. Sirius whispered to Harry in the quietest voice he could manage, “I’ll get my revenge on him when it’s his turn, just you wait.” “No you won’t!” Remus called out from the front of the store. “How did he do that?” the assistant said from the corner where she was re-hanging robes. A half hour later, Remus called out, “I’m heading down to Fortescue’s to pick up some sandwiches for us. Keep trying on clothes, Sirius!” They heard the bell ring as the mature Marauder left the store. Ten minutes later, Sirius whispered, “He’s got to be across the alley by now. What say we sneak out of here to check out Gambol and Jape’s?” Harry nodded, but they hadn’t gotten two steps from the fitting room when a loud Sonorused voice bellowed, “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT SNEAKING OUT OF THAT SHOP, PADFOOT!” “HOW DID HE DO THAT?” the pair said, staring at each other with mouths agape. Remus returned from the ice-cream parlor smirking wildly. “You two are too easy,” he muttered. Sirius and Harry stared in shock. “Check your right pocket, Padfoot,” Remus said, still smirking. Sirius stuck his hand in and pulled out a mirror. “Hey! This isn’t my hand-mirror, this is…” “One of yours’ and James’ two-way mirrors,” Remus said, fishing the mate to it out of his own pocket. “I hate you, sometimes,” Sirius said with loathing. “I love you too, Padfoot,” Remus said, now looking at a set of crisp brown robes. - - - Remus had enjoyed his prank, but now it was time to get some serious shopping done. “There is no way in Merlin’s most favorite swimming hole am I going to own nothing but gray robes!” Sirius yelled at the shop assistant. “But… they’re different shades of gray,” the woman said. “And they match your beautiful eyes.” Sirius’ eyes widened. For the first time since entering the shop, he realized that the assistant was in fact a beautiful young woman around the age of twenty-five. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her long bangs were falling into her silvery-blue eyes. She had a clear complexion of creamy skin and rosy cheeks, and a small mouth with naturally very pink lips. His jaw hit the floor. “I… um… I’ll take the gray silk dress robes, the dark gray outer cloak, and the silver shirt, but the rest of my clothes I want in various shades of blue, red, brown, and even some in black, and white. No more gray though.” She smiled, as the gray clothes he had picked were the ones she liked the best. “Alright,” she said. “What’s your name by the way? I didn’t catch it earlier,” Sirius asked. “Casey,” she replied, “Casey Meyers.” “How about I take you out to dinner in Muggle London tomorrow night,” Sirius asked, grinning hopefully. Casey blushed bright pink and said, “I’d like that.” She smiled up at him. “Great,” he said softly. “I — I’ll just go get some clothes in those other colors for you to try on,” she said as she left the fitting room. Harry and Remus wolf whistled at Sirius, who was still staring at the curtained doorway. Sirius’ head snapped around, and he glared at the other two. “Can it,” he muttered. The other two snickered. “Here you are,” Casey said, entering with her arms full of blue robes. “Try these on while I search for the red ones.” “Thanks,” Sirius said, grinning madly. She smiled slightly in response and left the room. Madam Malkin reentered the fitting room as Casey left. “Damn pure-blood bigots,” she muttered under her breath. “Who are you talking about,” Remus asked, frowning. Madam Malkin knelt and began pinning up Harry’s emerald robes as she responded, “The Malfoys, who else. That brat of theirs was in here wanting to buy the emerald robes he saw in here last week, incidentally these were the ones he wanted.” She pointed at the very robes she was pinning. “He threw an awful temper tantrum when I told him they were sold.” “Why couldn’t we hear him? The curtain isn’t that thick,” Sirius said, confused. “I placed a silencing spell on these rooms, ages ago. You can only hear the people out there that you know are here. They can’t hear anything at all,” she explained. She smiled up at Harry. “It was a charm your mother created just for me, when I complained about the noise to her during one of her fittings for her wedding robes. She created it in less than a week.” “Really?” Harry asked. “That was really nice of her.” “Yes it was,” Madam Malkin agreed. “She was the nicest person I’ve ever met. Your father could be the same way when the mood hit him, but Merlin forbid you get on his bad side.” Harry smiled a little sadly. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this the first time I came here?” he asked sadly. She suddenly looked up in surprise. “I thought you already knew all about your parents, and hearing more about them would upset you.” “I don’t know much about them at all,” Harry said. “Well then, let me tell you about the time that these two,” she jerked her head at Sirius and Remus, “and your father were in here shopping for dress robes for their graduation ball.” Harry grinned. “That would be great!” Remus and Sirius both groaned. “Well, your father desperately wanted to impress your mother who had written to Mr. Lupin, here, to find out if he was Head Boy,” she began. “But my dad was. Wait. How come she thought you were Head Boy, Remus?” Harry asked. “Oh,” Remus said. “Your father and Sirius were both very irresponsible.” “What Remus means to say is that we were a bit bullying towards Snape and, well, Slytherins in general,” Sirius interjected. “So that’s why he hates me!” Harry said. “I remind him of the person who bullied him!” “Erm, yes,” Sirius said, “Back to the explanation.” “I was always more responsible than them and I guess Dumbledore thought I would be able to curb their wild tendencies if I had the Prefect badge, but I wasn’t able to do that,” Remus said. “Anyway, by the end of sixth year, James was maturing rapidly, and he had already shown to be a leader among the other students. Added to that was the fact that he was top in our year except in Charms and Potions, which was where Lily excelled.” “At any rate,” Madam Malkin continued, “She had told Mr. Lupin what day and time she was doing her shopping.” “She wanted to talk about Prefect business and such,” Remus explained. She continued as though he hadn’t interrupted her. “And your father somehow got a hold of that letter.” “He stole it out of Remus’ trunk,” Sirius said. “So he wanted to be trying on his dress robes to impress her when she showed up.” “This is where she wanted to meet up with me,” Remus added. Madam Malkin helped Harry out of the emerald robe and into the bright blue one. “Anyway, Mr. Black had already paid for his robes, black with silver accents, when your father decided to try on a pair of robes that were bright red with gold accents.” She knelt to start pinning up the hem of the blue robes. “When this idiot,” she nodded in Sirius’ direction, “decided to play a prank on your father. He cast a color changing charm on your dad’s hair, turning it bubblegum pink.” “I got the idea from my little cousin, Dora, who’s a Metamorphmagus,” Sirius said. “Your dad turned to face the mirror to see if he liked the way the robes looked on him, and he noticed his hair.” She began pinning up the sleeves now. “He saw his hair and he let out this wild yell. I swear that half the alley could hear him. So he started chasing Mr. Black, and just as he finished hexing his hair into a Mohawk.” “It looked terrible,” Remus added. “Your mother walked in with her friend Alice. She took one look at James and started yelling at him. She called him an immature brat. Then he HAD to ask her out, mid-tirade as it was. She then said, ‘I would rather kiss a Basilisk than go out with you!’.” Harry’s eyes widened. “Well, your dad looked crestfallen. Everyone in the magical world knew that he had fancied her from the moment he first saw her. She was trying on robes for her first year at Hogwarts when he came in with his parents. He took one look at her and suddenly said, ‘Wow, you’re beautiful! Marry me?’” Harry’s jaw dropped. “Your mother wasn’t one to mince words. She just said, ‘I have no idea who you are, and I don’t care to find out. Drop dead.’” Harry was now in a state of shock, and stood frozen for several minutes until Sirius yelled, “Look, a red-head!” in his ear. Harry’s head shot to look toward the curtain. Then he looked at Sirius and said, “That was a cruel trick.” “It always worked on James too.” Sirius sighed in remembrance. “So, who is this red-head that you fancy?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry said aloofly. “I bet it’s that Weasley girl who was at Pettigrew’s trial. Am I right,” Remus asked. Harry turned red but didn’t answer. “Please continue the story, Madam Malkin.” Both Marauders began laughing at him as she continued. “Where was I? Oh, yes, your dad looked heartbroken. He just looked at her sadly and said, ‘As you wish. I won’t ask again.’” She helped Harry out of the blue robe and into the black one. “Your mother stood there in shock for about ten minutes. Then she slowly started to look through the racks of women’s dress robes with a puzzled look on her face. Meanwhile, I was pinning up the red robes for your father. He looked so depressed, and nothing either of these two,” she jerked her head at the Marauders again, “fools did could faze him.” Harry pulled off the robes, and Madam Malkin began to pin up Sirius’ robes. “Well, at last, about twenty minutes later, your dad was paying for his robes when she just walked up to him and said, ‘What’s the catch?’. To which he said, ‘I beg your pardon.’ She stared at him. ‘You never give up,’ she said. Your father got a sad look on his face. ‘Maybe I’m growing up, and finally realizing that the best way to show you that I love you is by giving you exactly what you want, me to stop asking you out,’ he said.” Harry watched her as she worked. “So what happened next?” “You’ll have to ask these two. Next thing I knew, your mom was shopping here for a set of dress robes for the Potter’s annual Christmas party which she was going to as your dad’s girlfriend,” she finished. Harry stared at Sirius. Sirius sighed. “Your dad was true to his word. He stopped asking her out. Hell, he stopped talking to her unless it was about school or Head duties. I think it unnerved her. For six years James had been chasing her and just like that, he stopped.” Remus continued. “Then on the second Hogsmeade weekend of the year in late November, Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade. Your mum fought brilliantly. James too, but he was trying to get the younger ones back to the school. Once they were safely there, he fought Death Eaters to get to Lily’s side. He was going to try to get her to the castle next. Only, the Death Eaters ganged up on them, and managed to disarm them. Then…” he couldn’t finish. “Then,” Sirius said, “Voldemort showed up. He walked straight over to your mum and dad and offered them their lives for their service. He wanted them to become Death Eaters. Well, Lily up said, ‘Go to hell where you belong!’ Needless to say, he did not take that well. James was about ten feet away from her at that point. Voldemort cast the Cruciatus curse at her, and she went down screaming. It took ten Death Eaters to hold James back from physically attacking Voldemort at that point.” Remus nodded. “Then Voldemort cast the cutting curse at Lily. James went into a blind rage, and I don’t know how, but he threw off all of the Death Eaters and leapt between the curse and Lily. It cut him from here to here,” Remus indicated the spot where his neck met his shoulder, and slashed his hand at angle crossing over his heart. “Then it was Lily’s turn to go into a blind rage,” Sirius said. “She dove at the Death Eater, who was holding their wands, and she grabbed them, punching the Death Eater in the process… she punched him hard, too. Then she leapt at Voldemort himself. He held still for some reason, probably in shock by her actions. And she cast the cutting curse at point-blank range. She cast it in exactly the place his curse had hit James.” “And?” Harry asked. “She began to cast as many healing charms as she could on James as the Death Eaters apparated away with Voldemort. Dumbledore arrived moments later and brought them both to Hospital Wing,” Remus said. “Lily never left his side, and the moment he woke up, she told him that she loved him, and if he still wanted her, he had her.” Sirius grinned. “James stared at her in shock for ten minutes, your mum was getting scared by then too, and then he grabbed her and kissed her as passionately as he could. He shouted, ‘Hell yes, I want you!’” “She just grinned wildly. And the rest, as they say, is history,” Remus finished. “Wow!” Harry said in shock. For the first time in his life, he knew something about his parents’ lives, other than their looks and that his dad owned an invisibility cloak. The rest of their fittings were done in silence as Harry tried to come to terms with what he had just found out. “Snape was right,” Harry said finally. “My dad was a bully. Was he also attention-seeking and arrogant? I need to know the truth, guys,” he said, somewhat sadly. Both Marauders looked somewhat ashamed of themselves. Finally, Remus spoke, “Yeah, he was.” “We all were,” Sirius said, “except Peter, but that was really because he was the tag-along, wanting to be next to those in the limelight.” Harry nodded his head in understanding. “Damn! Now I owe Snape an apology!” he said suddenly, making Sirius guffaw and Remus stifle a laugh. - - - After a brief stop at Darkness Defied to pick up three wand holsters, one each, the three of them were ready to leave Diagon Alley. When they left the Leaky Cauldron for Muggle London, Harry said, “So… Where do we go to go shopping?” He stared at everything going on around him. Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. “Haven’t you ever gone shopping in Muggle London before?” Remus asked. Harry shook his head. “Have you ever gone shopping in the Muggle world at all?” Sirius asked, hopefully. “No,” Harry said. “Well… unless you count the times I tagged along when Aunt Petunia was shopping for Dudley, but even then we had to go to the ‘special stores’,” he made quotation marks with his fingers and continued, “because Dudley is too large for normal sized clothes. And of course, I just went shopping by myself in Little Whinging.” “Well, this should be fun,” Sirius said, grinning madly and rubbing his palms together in glee. Sirius took off down the street, and Remus and Harry hurried to keep up with him. “Good Godric, here we go again,” Remus muttered as he grabbed Harry’s hand to keep them from getting separated in the crowd. “What do you mean?” Harry asked as they hurried after Sirius. “I think Sirius was a woman in another life. He loves shopping WAY too much.” Harry laughed even as the pair ran after Sirius. At long last, Sirius stopped in front of a large, high-end department store, and Remus and Harry came to a stop behind him. Remus at last let go of Harry’s hand, which was good because it was starting to make Harry feel like a toddler. Remus was panting a bit from running, but Harry was not. He supposed that it was due to spending half his life running from either Dudley or Uncle Vernon, and another quarter of it running from Voldemort. “Ah, bliss…” Sirius sighed, gazing in the window of the department store. “Let’s go!” he said to the pair beside him. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes as he entered the store. “Can I help you?” a very austere woman in a black pinstripe suit asked. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, so tight that it gave her a face-lift. “Yes,” Sirius said. “All three of us are in need of new wardrobes. Well… the small one has some decent clothes already but not much,” he added as he ruffled Harry’s hair. Harry blushed and pushed Sirius’ hand away, making the thirty-three year old man grin. She gave them a tight smile. “Of course,” she murmured, eyeing them. Remus was wearing a well worn pair of khakis and a short-sleeved blue button down shirt that showed the many scars on his arms. She sneered slightly then turned to Sirius, who had borrowed some of Remus’ clothes for the day, a white shirt and brown pants. Then she eyed Harry, who was wearing a white tee-shirt under a red button down shirt and a pair of khakis. “At least one of you is wearing clothes that are less than five years old,” she said. “What styles are you looking for?” Sirius grinned. “Remus,” he waved his hand at the werewolf, “will want a full wardrobe in a ‘young professor’ style.” She nodded. “I am looking for clothes in a thirty-something rebel look with a touch of class thrown in,” he said. She arched a brow but said nothing. “And Harry here,” Sirius threw an arm over his godson’s shoulders, “will want a cross between the two of us in style.” Harry nodded enthusiastically. “Right then,” she said, turning, “let’s get started! My name is Carol, by the way.” The three followed her into the fitting rooms. “I imagine that you,” she indicated Sirius, “Will want a black leather jacket, lots of black jeans, tee-shirts in various colors, and for more formal occasions, a silver silk pin-stripe Armani suit paired with black shirt, worn open collar, and a black fedora.” As she said this, her assistants entered the room with examples of what she was talking about. “Make it two suits, one in black silk as well,” Sirius said, “I love the hat, and no ties sound perfect. Do you have any leather jackets with chains or studs?” Carol smirked. “Of course,” she said. “The jeans need to be fitted, as I have a motorcycle and ride it often,” he said. “And I’ll want a few blazers and dress slacks for business meetings.” She arched a brow. “Managing my finances and my godson’s inheritance,” he added. Sirius really wasn’t the business type and it showed. After they had picked out a wide assortment of clothes for Sirius and tried everything on, Carol began eyeing Harry. “How old are you? Ten?” she asked. “Twelve, actually,” he said, “nearly thirteen. I’m small for my age.” “That will be changing soon,” Sirius said seriously for once. Carol nodded. “A tailored black leather jacket, no chains or studs,” she said, her eyes glazing over, not unlike Luna Lovegood’s. “Tailored jeans, a few pairs of dress slacks, two Armani suits, no ties,” her assistants were scurrying about, “silk button down shirts, a few knit shirts, a fedora in dark green,” she stared at Harry’s eyes. “And of course, some cotton button down shirts, and some tee-shirts to match. Also, grab a brown leather jacket as well as the black,” she smiled. “This one is going to be lady-killer, I can tell.” Sirius began to laugh. “He’s taken!” “Shut up, Sirius!” Harry moaned. “Indeed?” Carol asked. “She is a lucky young woman then. Beautiful?” Harry blushed. “Gorgeous, actually,” he muttered. “Long red hair, brown eyes, a year younger than me…” “And she has six older brothers…” Remus added, grinning. “Erm,” Harry paled. “Yeah, that too.” Carol gave a tight little smile, though it was genuine. “Then, perhaps it is you who is lucky.” Harry nodded. Carol soon began to evaluate Remus. “You are the same age as your friend?” she asked. Remus nodded. “And he has a young woman to impress,” Harry said, smirking. Remus turned red. “Sirius’ cousin, actually,” Harry continued. As Sirius turned an odd shade of puce, Harry whispered, “Vengeance is sweet,” in Remus’ ear. “Nymphadora?” Sirius squeaked out. “The one and only,” Harry said. “Wow! Um… Wow!” Sirius said. “I’m not gonna think about it; I’m not gonna think about it…” he muttered under his breath as Carol began to evaluate the other man. “Lots of blazers in brown, beige, khaki, and gold. You have beautiful eyes,” she muttered. “Button-down shirts in white, red, gold, chocolate,” Remus’ gold eyes glinted, thinking of his favorite food as Carol continued, “orange, beige, and well…every color in between. He’s an autumn.” The two Marauders and Harry all looked confused, but apparently the assistants knew what Carol meant. “And lots of ties for this one,” she continued. “He’ll need some dress slacks to go with the blazers, and five suits.” Remus’ brows rose. “Five?” he asked. “Of course,” she said. “You are definitely the professor type.” At long last, they left the store. Remus and Harry were contemplating the couch in the upstairs living room at the manor, and a couple of defense books when Sirius said, “Now, for shoes!” Both of them moaned, but obediently followed him. Sirius insisted Harry choose a pair of combat boots, dress boots, and a pair of brown dress shoes (as he already had black). Remus was forced to buy the same as Harry, but also black dress shoes, loafers, and new trainers also. Sirius bought the exact same things Remus did except for the loafers. Sirius shuddered at the sight of them. Then, at long last, Harry and Remus were able to drag Sirius back to the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron to go home. - - - Ginny was lying on her back on her bed, and holding Harry’s first year defense book open in the air. She hummed under her breath as she read. Tap, tap, tap. She sat up suddenly, placing her feet on the floor. “Hedwig!” she said, setting aside the book. She hurried to the window and let the beautiful snowy owl in. Hedwig landed gracefully on Ginny’s arm. Ginny hurried downstairs to the kitchen. “Mum!” she said. “Can I have an owl treat to give Hedwig?” Molly looked up from the dough she was kneading, and saw the owl on her daughter’s arm. “Help yourself, dear,” she said. “Thanks Mum,” Ginny said, walking over to the pantry and pulling a box off a shelf. She lowered her arm so Hedwig could step onto the back of one of the chairs, then pulled a treat out of the box and held it out to the owl. Hedwig gave it a nibble then plucked it out of Ginny’s hand completely. While Hedwig enjoyed her snack, Ginny removed a thick parchment envelope from the owl’s leg. She popped open the wax seal, and pulled out the paper within. It read in beautiful blue ink… Dear Red, I just wanted to let you know that a kidnapping is not necessary. Remus brought Sirius with him to the park today and boy were they mad at my relatives. Sirius adopted me today at Gringotts and I was emancipated. That means that I am legally Sirius’ son, and legally an adult in this world, meaning no restriction for underage wizardry. There will be an article in the Prophet on Saturday about my life. You may want to warn your dad because, knowing your mum, she’s going to want to kill the Dursleys. By the way, you know how my dad was called Prongs… he was a stag animagus. Sirius is Padfoot, a dog animagus, and Remus is Moony, a werewolf (don’t tell anyone else, especially not Gred and Forge). Tell Ron and the twins that I said hi and will be writing to them later on. I just had to let you know about Sirius. I miss you loads, Harry She smiled gently. Sirius had taken him away from the awful Dursleys. For that, Ginny decided, she would have to buy Sirius a chew toy. “Well?” Molly Weasley asked, “What did he say?” “Hmm,” Ginny said looking up, “He was just letting me know that he had a nice visit with some friends of his father’s and asked me to tell the boys ‘hi’ for him and that he’ll write them later.” “Oh, that’s nice of him to write to you,” Molly said. “I imagine you will be writing him back.” “Of course, Mum. He is my friend, after all,” Ginny replied, smiling. Molly Weasley smiled as well. After everything that had happened this last year, she had been worried that Ginny would become depressed and pull away from the family. Not for the first time, Molly said a traditional wizarding blessing for Harry in thanks for what he had done. He had given her daughter back to her. |
| Reviews 46 |
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