|
Harry Potter and the Secrets He's Kept | ||||||
|
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: 48277; Chapter Total: 5679 |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
Molly Weasley stood in her kitchen, scrambling some eggs for breakfast when the Daily Prophet owl swooped in through the open window and dropped the paper onto the bacon. Arthur came down stairs, just as the owl left again. “Oh, the paper’s here,” he said. “Remus told me that there is going to be a very interesting article in the paper today. He said it would probably be on the front page.” The red haired man smiled and pecked his wife on the cheek before pouring himself some coffee and picking up the newspaper. He flicked it open, and as Molly turned to place the bowl of eggs on the table, she saw the smile fade off of his face, replaced by a stern and angry look. “Get the kids,” he said solemnly. Molly placed the bowl on the table, and ran upstairs, ordering the children to be at the table in five minutes or suffer her wrath. Ginny was already awake and brushing her long, shiny red hair when her mother barreled up the stairs to her door. “Ginny, dear, hurry downstairs immediately. Your father wants all of you down,” the flustered mother said. “Yes, Mum,” Ginny replied, standing up from her spot on the bed, and dropping the brush onto her bedside table. “Water works best on the twins when you’re in a hurry,” she said as she slipped past her mother. Ginny hurried downstairs and saw her father holding the newspaper in one hand while his head was in the fire. Arthur pulled his head out of the flames and breathed a sigh of relief before turning to see his daughter seated at the table and nibbling on a piece of toast with marmalade. He smiled fondly at her and said, “Bill and Charlie will be here in a few minutes.” Ginny looked up at him, her face glowing with joy. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’ve missed them.” “I know you have, which is part of the reason why they will be staying for the rest of the weekend,” Arthur said, smiling down at his only girl. At that moment, two things happened. Percy came downstairs, still in his pajamas, and the fire turned green and out stepped Bill. “Ginny!” he cried, as he dropped a large black bag on the floor. “Bill!” she yelled, leaping up from the table and running into his arms. Bill caught her and swung her around in the air before putting her back on the ground. “Well, Ginny, you’re all grown up, aren’t you?” “Well, you have been away for two years,” she responded, hands on her hips. He chuckled and said, “Yes, I guess I have. Hello, Percy.” He smiled at the bookish Weasley. “Hello, Bill,” the younger male said, yawning behind a hand. “Any idea what this is all about?” “Nope, all Dad said was that it was a family meeting,” he responded, as he sat at the table and started dishing up some eggs. The flames turned green again, and a man that was shorter and stockier than Bill stepped out. “Hi, everyone!” Charlie greeted, dropping his green bag next to Bill’s black one before joining the table. Molly and the twins, whose hair was plastered to their heads, entered the room just then. “Ron will be down in a minute,” Molly said. Fred and George glared at Ginny as they sat down. “Thanks a lot, Ginny!” Fred said sarcastically. “Yeah, you had to spill the beans to Mum,” George added. Ginny smirked in response, and looked very smug as she bit into a piece of sausage. Molly was frying up more eggs by the time Ron stumbled into the room, still in his pajamas. He froze just inside the door and stared at his eldest brothers. “What’re you doing here?” he asked. “Nice to know that we’re loved, eh Bill?” Charlie said. “Yeah really, I’m only the person who taught Ron to play chess,” Bill added. Charlie nodded. “Now that you mention it, I was the one who taught him how to fly.” Ron glared at them. “I missed you both. Happy now?” “Immensely,” they said together, not unlike the twins. Arthur cleared his throat. “Sit down Ron, you too Molly.” He looked very grave. “I need everyone here to remain calm while I read this to you, then I will be asking some questions, and you will answer them honestly.” Everyone nodded solemnly. “The Boy-Who-Lived Speaks Out For The First Time,” Arthur read. The older boys exchanged looks, and Fred and George both looked to Ron to see if he knew what was going on. Ron shook his head and looked at Ginny who refused to meet anyone’s eyes. Molly cried throughout most of the article, and Ginny looked as though she wanted to cry as well but held it in. When Harry mentioned his accidental magic, Bill gave a low whistle, impressed with the boy’s power. Ron looked green when he found out that Harry remembered his mother’s murder. Charlie chuckled when Harry insulted Voldemort, impressed with his cheek. Each of the Weasley children blushed as their father read what Harry had said about them. Charlie nodded reminiscently as he heard Harry describe the first time he ever flew. Everyone was impressed with how Harry felt about other beings. But the good feelings didn’t last long when they read about what Rita Skeeter had found in the Dursleys’ home. The whole room sat in shock as Arthur read the last paragraph. Then anyone passing by the Burrow would have thought that an explosion had happened, because the kitchen erupted into sound as everyone began talking and yelling at once. Arthur had cast several bangs with his wand to get everyone’s attention. “Silence!” he yelled as the din lessened. “I have questions for each of you, starting with Percy.” “Yes, Father,” the usually stiff and pompous young man said, though just now he was more than a little shaken. “What do you know about this article, and about Harry’s life? Has he said anything to you? Or did you observe anything of interest about him?” Arthur asked seriously. “Please start from the moment you met him and think over every memory.” “Alright,” Percy said, looking slightly overwhelmed. “The first time I noticed him was when his name was called to be Sorted. I noticed that he was rather small for his age, though Mr. Longbottom was also short. Harry took a while to be Sorted, and he looked very relieved when the Hat yelled Gryffindor,” Percy paused. “He flinched a little when one of the twins patted him on the back, and again when I reached to shake his hand. I noticed that he continued to flinch at sudden moves and noises until a week or two after Halloween, but it started back up when he first got here last summer.” Percy looked rather pale as he began to understand the implications of what he had seen. “He was scrawny at first but he filled out some during the course of the school year, but he was just as scrawny last summer as well. Harry was the first student to sign up to stay at the school for Christmas, and he looked quite relieved to do so. At the time, I figured that it was just because he was still in awe of magic and wanted to stay where he could continue to do it.” Percy drew in a shaky breath. “I see now that I was wrong. I — I can’t think of anything else, but if I do, I’ll let you know.” Arthur nodded. “Fred, you’re next.” Fred exchanged glances with George then began. “I noticed something off at the beginning. He wore such baggy, worn out clothes at the train station, and all he brought with him for school were the necessities. He could barely lift his trunk, and it was nearly empty,” he said, George nodding beside him. “When the food appeared on the tables at the Start of Term Feast, he didn’t even reach for anything until we told him to ‘eat up’. Then he only took a little bit at a time, until he realized that he could have as much as he wanted and no one would stop him. He jumped whenever we suddenly appeared on either side of him, and I’ve never seen anyone with his reflexes before. When we asked him how come he was so good at dodging Bludgers, he just said that he was used to dodging things. Then when we went to rescue him last summer, he was locked in a small room with bars on the windows. The blankets on the bed were worn out and had holes in them. His owl looked healthier than he did, and as she was padlocked into her cage, my best guess is that he was giving her half of what little bit of food the Muggles gave him.” Molly winced and wiped some more tears from her eyes. “George, it’s your turn,” Arthur said. George nodded and began, “I noticed all of the same things as Fred really, but there’s a few things he missed. At the Feast two years ago, Harry acted as though he’d never tasted a dessert before in his life. Over the course of the year, I noticed that Harry felt his life was unimportant. Look at how quick he was to go up against You-Know-Who in his first year, knowing that he couldn’t win. Last year he went up against a Basilisk. Also, one thing that Fred missed was that when we broke Harry out of Durskaban, his trunk had been locked in the cupboard beneath the stairs. We had to pick the lock on his bedroom door, then pick another lock on the cupboard door.” George looked really mad now. “Then when we had Harry’s trunk in the car, and Harry had just handed me Hedwig, Dursley Sr. woke up and came barging into the room yelling, ‘The prisoner is escaping!’” Several people gasped at that. “Then we tried to pull Harry into the car as his Uncle yanked on his legs, trying to keep him there. That’s all I think.” Arthur nodded, looking rather paler than before. “Ronald,” he said. Ron knew this was dead serious because his dad never used his full name unless it was something life-or-death important. “I shared a compartment with Harry on the train,” he started. “Looking back on things, I realize that Harry wasn’t just thin back then, but he was bony.” Ron looked grave, and it seemed to him as though his childhood was gone forever with that one news article. “Harry loved everything about the train ride. He went wild over the Chocolate Frogs and Every-Flavor Beans. He told me that he’d never had candy before. I thought that his family were just health-nuts. When I mentioned that most of my things, like my wand, were hand-me-downs, Harry told me that he’d never had new clothes before, and just got his cousin’s old things. As you know, the cousin is huge, so they obviously never had fit Harry. And at Christmas, he told me that he never had gotten a real Christmas present before. Remember, Mum, I told you about that, so you sent Harry a Weasley sweater.” Molly nodded as Ron continued, “He always tried to protect other people at risk to himself. Like when he got Neville’s Rememberall back from Malfoy. He flew up after him, even though he’d never flown before. Then he dove after it, and barely missed becoming one with the grass in order to catch it. He was the one who insisted that we warn Hermione about the troll on Halloween. He — eck,” Ron said, changing the word at the last minute because his mother was giving him ‘the look’. “He even risks his life for Quidditch, more than most people would. During this past year, a lot of things he did was to figure out — well, to help people anyway, and he didn’t even care all that much that people thought he was Slytherin’s heir.” “Molly?” Arthur said, nodding gravely. “Well,” Molly said, shifting in her seat. “Harry was very polite and timid when he asked how to get onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters two years ago, and there was nobody with him at the station. When I hugged him at the start of last summer, I noticed that he was painfully thin. But I still thought the boys were exaggerating when they said that the Muggles had Harry locked up and were starving him. I’m sorry boys,” she said, turning to the twins and Ron. “That’s what I was afraid of,” Arthur said, looking serious. “I think it’s time that some of our laws regarding Muggleborn students be changed.” “Like what, Dad?” Bill asked. “A certified Healer that is unrelated to the school should give each Muggleborn an examination upon entering our world in order to prevent problems like this from arising again. Also, the records of every Muggleborn’s health should be sent to Madam Pomfrey so that she is better able to help them in the future,” he explained. Bill nodded. Charlie suddenly spoke up, “Dad… Shouldn’t Hogwarts make Muggle Studies a mandatory class for anyone who was raised in our world, and also have Intro to the Wizarding World classes at the same time for Muggleborns? At least for the first two years, anyway.” “That’s an excellent idea, Son,” Arthur said, “I suppose I’d better speak to Madam Longbottom about that as she is on the Board of Governors.” “But, what about Harry?” Molly asked. “Eleven years in Azkaban can’t have been good for his godfather. Is he fit to raise a child at this time?” “Mum, so you honestly think that Harry is still a child after hearing everything in that article?” Ginny asked in shock. “But he’s only twelve for Merlin’s sake,” the matronly woman wailed. “And I’m only eleven,” Ginny said. “But going through what I did has left me scarred, not physically but emotionally, because of this I am probably a lot more mature than my peers. Harry has been fighting for the right to live since he was baby. He is more than capable of living alone. At least this way he’s living with two adults, and even if Sirius Black isn’t fit to raise a child, it will still be fine because Remus Lupin will be there.” “How do you know that?” Ron asked. Ginny flushed. “How d’you think I know… Harry told me that he was living with the both of them.” Arthur smiled some. “Remus is a good person, and I have no doubt that Harry will thrive with them,” he said. “The question now is…” George began. “…what do we do to help Harry,” Fred finished. Bill looked quite calm as he spoke. “It’s obvious isn’t it? We prepare for war with V-Voldemort,” he stumbled over the name, and made everyone but Ginny flinch at its use. “Given the events at Hogwarts during the past two years, it’s fairly obvious that Voldemort will be back soon. We prepare to fight.” Percy spoke up then, and what he said surprised everyone at the table, “If You-Know — oh hell — Voldemort attacked Harry as a child, how did he survive, Voldemort that is? Come to that, how did Harry survive? These questions need answering. Furthermore, from what I overheard Ron and Hermione talking about, Voldemort seemed a little too happy to confront Harry both this past year and the year before.” “Yes — ” Ginny said, “He was very interested in Harry. Always asking questions, and fool that I am, I told him what I knew.” “Don’t speak of yourself that way, Ginny,” Percy said before continuing his train of thought. “What I’m trying to say is that Voldemort has an unnatural obsession with Harry. We need to know why, and we need to train Harry.” Percy looked more serious than usual, but there was a glow in his eyes that showed why he was placed in Gryffindor. Ron decided to mention something. “I don’t think we should bring Dumbledore into this at all though.” Everyone but the twins and Ginny screamed, “WHAT?” at this. “I have a reason for thinking this way!” Ron snapped. Bill looked thoughtful. “Let’s hear it then.” Ron looked nervous. “I need a Wizards Oath from all of you that you won’t tell anyone what is revealed regarding Dumbledore unless you feel it absolutely necessary,” he said, glaring. “I’m trusting that you all will not feel it necessary to tell Dumbledore what I know.” “I hereby swear that I, William Weasley, will not knowingly reveal any information that I hear today regarding Albus Dumbledore unless I feel it is absolutely necessary,” Bill said, making his wand glow a brilliant white. Charlie and Percy were next, and said their oaths together. Thankfully for Ron, Percy had already turned seventeen and was able to make the vow without getting a letter from the Ministry. Arthur Weasley stared long and hard at Ron before nodding his head and making his vow. Molly took the longest, and not without a few tears over the precautions her youngest son deemed necessary, before making her vow. Ron looked rather pale, but nodded. “If you doubt anything that I say today, you can speak to Ginny, the twins, Harry, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, or Nymphadora Tonks,” Ron said. The older Weasleys all looked rather confused at this, but nodded. “Where do I start?” he asked Ginny. “At the beginning is always best,” she replied, shrugging. Ron nodded and began, “Dumbledore has been Head of the Wizengamot since he defeated Grindelwald, everyone knows that. So why was Sirius Black the only person thrown into Azkaban without a trial? Dumbledore has enough political clout — don’t look at me that way Percy, I’m not stupid — anyway, Dumbledore could have insisted on a trial.” Charlie nodded in agreement. “But he didn’t. As Sirius Black was in Azkaban, Dumbledore became the executor of the Potters’ will, and Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys. If Hagrid is to be believed, then Professor McGonagall had watched the Muggles all day and warned Dumbledore that they weren’t fit to raise Harry. Also, don’t you find it a little odd that with all of Dumbledore’s knowledge and Dark Detectors, he never noticed that V-Voldemort was possessing Quirrell and later Ginny?” Molly exchanged alarmed looks with Arthur. “Also, why were three first year students capable of getting past traps that were meant to stop Voldemort,” Ron was sounding more passionate now, and it was clear that he had spent a long time thinking about this. “And why was Harry the one who had to kill a Basilisk? Dumbledore sent his Phoenix so why didn’t he hitch a ride on the bird. I looked up Phoenixes after we got out of the Chamber, and they can take a person with them when the flame away.” Ron sighed. “I don’t know what Dumbledore’s motivation was, but I think it’s safe to say that Harry’s best interest was not it.” Bill’s freckles stood out boldly against his ashen face, and Percy looked quite ill. “I understand your reasons, Ron, and I agree with them,” Arthur said. He stood and looked around the table. “Are we all in agreement?” Everyone gave their assent and Arthur nodded. “Now I just need to speak to Harry.” Ginny looked up suddenly. “I know what to do. Seneca!” A beautiful gold and red Phoenix appeared hovering in the air above the table. - - - Neville and his Gran were seated at the dining room table in Longbottom Manor when the Daily Prophet was delivered. As soon as Augusta Longbottom finished reading the front page, she turned to her grandson. “Neville, what do you know about this?” she asked, showing him the article. Neville quickly read it through, his face growing more and more red with each sentence. “WHY DIDN’T HE TELL US?!” he yelled suddenly, leaping out of his chair and pacing. “Of all the idiotic, noble, self-sacrificing, moronic things to do! AARGH!” Needless to say, Augusta had never expected her calm and meek grandson to react in such a way. “We could have done something after our first year!” Neville continued. Suddenly, to Augusta’s shock and awe, every piece of glass in the manor shattered. Neville collapsed back into his chair after the display of raw magic, tired but calmer. “I take it then that you knew nothing,” Augusta said as she fixed all of the glass in the dining room. Neville looked up, his eyes red but dry. “I only knew that Harry wore hand-me-downs and only brought the bare minimum of anything to school. I knew that he didn’t know of his family heritage, but I didn’t know how to tell him about it. I knew his family was unloving, but I never dreamed that they were abusive.” Augusta crouched in front of her grandson and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t a Seer, Neville; you couldn’t have known. He is now living with Mr. Black, who as I recall, was a good man, and Azkaban could not possibly change his innate character. I am immensely proud of you for caring about your friends so deeply, and I know that your parents would be too. In fact, you are very much like Alice, though I dare say you have your father’s magical strength.” Just then a house elf popped into the room. “Madam, all the glass in the house is being broken, but we is fixing it.” “Thank you, Lulu,” Augusta said, smiling at the elf. “See,” she said to Neville, making him smile a little. Augusta Longbottom was surprised when Arthur Weasley asked to discuss school business with her, but not as much as he had expected. Indeed, Arthur was the one surprised when she asked Neville’s opinion on things and changed her mind on certain matters based on what he had to say. - - - Xenophilius Lovegood smiled happily when he realized the effect that one young teenager could have, and he anticipated the chaos that would soon erupt. Luna, on the other hand, cried when she read the article, and that night she flooed to Ginny for comfort, for it hurt Luna’s tender heart to know that one of her first friends was hurt so badly. - - - Amelia Bones was seated in her office, already working when the owl dropped off her copy of the paper. She was early because it was only a week until the election, and she wanted to be prepared. She would have just tossed the paper aside until her lunch break, but the headline caught her eye. “SHACKLEBOLT!” Her voice echoed off of the walls not twenty minutes later. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said, rushing over from his cubicle. “You’ve read the front page?” she asked, her face like ice. “Yes,” he replied. “Investigate this, and make sure that the Muggle authorities get all the evidence. I will make arrangements for Mr. Potter to be available for a trial,” Amelia said, eyes flashing. “Yes, Ma’am!” he said, respect coloring his voice. That day, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the busiest it had ever been since Harry Potter defeated Voldemort the first time. - - - Boris Cragg moaned into his hands when he read the article. He was Amelia Bones’ only real competition for Minister of Magic, and now she was as good as elected. He was no Death Eater, but he was a Pureblood Supremist with an agenda. He knew that some of the people he had borrowed money from for his campaign would be calling in his debts to them, and most of those people would not hesitate to cash in their debts by taking a pound of flesh, as he did not have the money to give them. - - - Albus Dumbledore choked on his lemon drop when he read the Prophet that morning. He then checked his tracking devices on Harry’s wand, and saw that it was still at Privet Drive, but that made no sense, as he was certain that Harry was not there. So at seven that morning, Petunia Dursley broke her favorite casserole because Albus Dumbledore apparated into her back yard, scaring her. He repaired it, of course, but she threw it away as soon as he left. She had no intention of using anything that magic had been used on. Dumbledore was shocked speechless when he followed the tracking device to a simple Muggle computer game disk. He left immediately, not sure whether to be proud of Harry for making such a clean break, or furious at the boy’s gall. When he arrived back at his office, he reread the paper, and came to the conclusion that it was time to focus on what he should have from the very beginning… Hogwarts. - - - Minerva McGonagall was calmly sipping her morning tea in Filius’ private dining room in Hogwarts when the paper arrived. Every Saturday the pair and Severus Snape would share breakfast, alternating whose apartment they ate at. All three Professors began reading their papers at the same time. This was normal, as after they were done reading, they would discuss whatever the paper had said. Minerva very nearly spit out her tea in shock, but somehow managed to restrain herself in time. Severus broke his tea cup when he squeezed it too hard, spilling tea on his lap, and never noticed. Meanwhile Filius fell off his chair in shock, and didn’t bother to climb back up until he was done the article. When they had finished reading, the three professors stared at each other for a long minute. “I knew those Muggles were bad news,” Minerva said at last. Severus Snape looked pale. “Lily would have been appalled with me for how I’ve been treating her son, especially given the similarities between my own upbringing and his.” Filius looked every inch the Dueling Master he was. “This article will be like the explosion that causes a tidal wave,” he said, “and the world will never be the same.” The other two professors nodded in agreement. “So, where do we stand on this matter?” Minerva asked. Severus stared at her in surprise. “The only place that makes sense… We stand behind Harry to give him the support he needs. There was a prophecy; I only know part of it though… It goes: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh month dies…,” he said, looking determined. “I’ll give you one guess on what the entire prophecy means.” Filius and Minerva both looked shocked. “There is no doubt,” the Scottish woman said, “Harry is going to defeat Voldemort.” Filius nodded. “I’ll take dueling. Severus, the Dark Arts and Mind Magic, and Minerva takes Animagus training,” he said, and the others nodded in agreement. - - - Nymphadora Tonks read the article from the comfort of her mother’s couch. Apart from being appalled at how Harry had been treated, she was now more determined than ever to follow the course her future self had started. She thought very carefully about what she had to offer Harry in the way of training, and the only thing that came to mind was the very thing suggested in Harry’s letter to himself. “I’m teaching him Martial Arts,” she said, a determined look on her heart shaped face. - - - Draco Malfoy choked on his bacon when he read the article. Then he found himself in his bathroom getting sick over the visual images his imagination had created from the descriptions in the article. He didn’t know if he was going to become a Potter groupie, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to join Voldemort. - - - Seneca appeared suddenly in front of Harry who was in the kitchen, making him drop his glass of juice on the floor. Come my young human, your mate is waiting, Seneca sang. Harry knew instantly that this was the Phoenix that he was bonded to. “Just a moment, Seneca, I have to tell my guardians where I’m going.” The Phoenix nodded and grasped Harry’s shoulder in his talons and flamed to the sitting room that Harry shared with the Marauders and Draco. Harry was stunned by the sudden change in location, but didn’t let it affect him for more than a few seconds. He quickly walked down the hall to Remus’ bedroom. “Moony!” he called out as he knocked on the door. “Whaisit?” a very tired Moony said as he opened the door. He had arrived home very late the night before, having gone on a second date with the ever-colorful Tonks. “I need to go see Ginny, so Seneca, our Phoenix is taking me,” Harry explained. Remus blinked his eyes several times. “Phoenix, Ginny, got it,” he said. “M’goin back to bed.” And without waiting for a response, he shut the door and shuffled off. - - - The breakfast had been cleared and lunch had replaced it, but aside from that, the kitchen of the Burrow looked exactly as it had that morning. A large burst of flames appeared near the door to the garden, and a rather nervous looking Harry appeared, clutching Seneca’s tail. “Harry!” Ginny cried out, leaping out of her seat and into his arms. Harry easily caught her, and after a tight hug, released her only to find himself wrapped in the vice-like grip of his surrogate mother. Molly only released him when a very loud bang came from Arthur Weasley’s wand. “Business first, then lunch,” he said. He looked at Harry. “How much do you know about Magical Customs?” Seneca suddenly sang to Harry, “I can walk you through any Customs he wishes to do.” “Not much,” Harry replied to Arthur, “but Seneca says that he can walk me through any Customs that you want to do.” Arthur sighed in relief. “Boys,” he said, making all of the Weasley males stand up. Arthur knelt on one knee in front of Harry, placing both hands on his shoulders. Bill and Charlie knelt just behind their father on either side, each with a hand on one of his shoulders and their other hand on their brother’s shoulder. Percy knelt behind Bill and Charlie, placing his hands on their outer shoulders. Fred and George knelt behind Percy and placed their hands in the same positions as Bill and Charlie. Ron knelt in the back with his hands on their outer shoulders, and they began. “As a father to a son, I give you guidance,” Arthur said solemnly, and both he and Harry began to glow. “As elder brothers to the younger, we give you strength,” Bill and Charlie recited, making themselves glow, and adding to the brightness around their father and Harry. “As an elder brother to the younger, I give you knowledge,” Percy said, adding to the effect. “As elder brothers to the younger, we give you cunning,” the twins said together. “As a brother, I give you my allegiance,” Ron said, more serious than Harry had ever seen him before. Seneca sang in Harry’s ear. “Accept them by saying, ‘Kinsmen and Family we shall be. The House of Potter and the House of Gryffindor accept you. So mote it be.’” "Kinsmen and Family we shall be. The House of Potter and the House of Gryffindor accept you. So mote it be,” Harry said seriously, knowing that this was a moment of great importance. Arthur smiled up at him. “So mote it be,” all the Weasley males said together. “Well, that’s done,” Arthur said. “I’m sure you have some questions, Harry, so go ahead and ask?” “What exactly did we just do?” Harry asked. “We formally requested to join Clan Potter and apparently Clan Gryffindor, and your acceptance made us a sort of family,” Bill explained. “We aren’t actually brothers, but we have a legal, ethical, and magical familial bond now.” “What sort of legal responsibilities do we have to each other?” Harry asked. Arthur grinned and chuckled under his breath. “You were right, Ginny, that was the first thing he asked,” he said. Bill ignored this and began to try to explain. “This means for example, if one of us were to have a child, but be unable to raise it due to death or injury, you would have a responsibility to that child. Also, if you were in need of legal aid, like if you were brought up on charges with the Wizengamot, we would have a responsibility to get you legal counsel, and if necessary one of us could accept responsibility for you through this bond to get you bailed out of jail. Not that any of us think that will be necessary. In olden times, this bond was a sign of allies in battle. Should Voldemort return, as we believe he will, and you were to fight him, we will be by your side as is our right.” “What did you tell them?” Harry asked, turning to Ron. “Just that Voldemort seems to have and unnatural obsession with you, and in a way, so does Dumbledore,” Ron said, shrugging. “I need to tell you all something that only a few close friends know,” Harry said to Arthur. “Go ahead,” the older man said. “There is a prophecy about me, Voldemort and…well, I think you’ll figure it out,” Harry said. “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark the him as his equal, But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...This Power shall be his love…She will be one of seven, yet the only one…Faithful when others doubt, Faithful when faith is torture…She shall be the only one to know his pain…Bound by their love, Their love will save all…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.” Arthur systematically took the prophecy apart piece by piece, and Harry knew the exact moment that he reached the line ‘She will be one of seven, yet the only one’ because Arthur paled. “Ginny,” was all he could say. Harry nodded. “There’s no doubt?” Percy asked, just to be certain. Harry said, “No doubt at all,” which made Ginny blush. “That confirms it then,” Arthur said. “A betrothal?” Bill asked. Arthur nodded. “But they’re so young,” Molly protested. Charlie shook his head. “No, Mum, they’re not.” “They’ve handled this all with far more maturity than I would have,” Percy said. Molly sighed. “I'm not going to get my way, am I? As Arthur agrees, I suppose I have to as well.” “Ginny, come here,” Arthur said. He had Harry and Ginny stand facing each other. “Err, what basis will you use for it?” Ron asked. “My life debt,” Ginny answered before her father could. Arthur nodded. “Hold out your right hands,” he said, which they both did immediately. With his wand, he cast a slicing charm on their palms. “Harry hold Ginny’s hand, palm to palm.” Harry took her smaller hand in his. Ginny stared Harry in the eyes and said, “My life is owed to thee, My hand I give to thee, Should thee accept this offering, Your bride I shall be.” Arthur said a long stream of Latin words, and a silver cord wrapped around their hands. “Tell her, ‘Thou owes me no debt, My name I shall give to thee, Thy offering is accepted, My bride thee shall be,’” Seneca sang. Harry stared deep into Ginny’s eyes and said, as Seneca told him, “Thou owes me no debt, My name I shall give to thee, Thy offering is accepted, My bride thee shall be.” Arthur said another string of Latin, making another silver cord wrap around their hands, then said, “So mote it be.” With a blinding flash of magic, the cords were absorbed, and when they pulled their hands apart, Harry and Ginny saw that the cuts had been healed, though a scar remained. “Are there any other Customs that you want to do?” Harry asked. “No, not today at any rate,” Arthur said. “Now let’s have some lunch. I believe that a great many people will want a moment of your time over the next few weeks, Harry.” - - - Arthur was correct. It was the very next day that the Longbottom matriarch requested his presence at her home. Harry, having read up on Customs the night before, was prepared. When a Head of Family is formally invited to the home of another Head (or future Head) it is polite if he wears dress robes with all family Crests present, be wearing any family rings, and in a very few cases (Harry’s included) bring the family sword. Harry considered himself lucky. He had intentionally left the Sword of Gryffindor in the Chamber of Secrets, and as he knew where the Chamber was, he had Seneca flame him in to retrieve the sword. Harry had assumed accurately that had he brought the sword with him when he was interviewed by Professor Dumbledore after the incident, the Professor would have taken the sword away, claiming it to be a school artifact. So when he arrived at Longbottom Manor on Sunday afternoon, he wore black dress robes with the Potter-Gryffindor Crest on his right breast, as he was the Head of Family. The Black Crest, he wore on his left breast, as he was Heir to the House of Black. Sirius had given him an heir ring to wear on the middle finger of his right hand, and he always wore his Head ring on his right hand ring finger. He wore the sword of Gryffindor in its scabbard on his left hip. Somehow, Seneca had retrieved the scabbard for him, though the bird refused to tell him how he did it or where it came from. Harry exited the floo in the main foyer of the opulent manor that was a bit more formal than Potter manor, though smaller. “Lord Potter,” Augusta Longbottom greeted, bowing her head. “Lady Longbottom,” Harry replied, bowing a trifle awkwardly. Thankfully Harry did not have to stick to formalities with Neville. As was customary, they had a formal luncheon before moving on to the reason Harry had been invited over. “Mr. Potter,” Mrs. Longbottom began. “I wish to establish an alliance between our families as had once existed between your father and my son.” “What sort of alliance?” Harry asked. Augusta smiled. “I wish for our Houses to be Brother Houses.” The Brother Bond was one that Harry had been reading up on the night before, so he suspected that he knew what she wanted him to do. “You wish for Neville and I to be blood brothers?” “Yes, Lord Potter,” she replied. “Why specifically, Ma’am?” Harry asked. She smiled impressed with how he was handling this. “I wish to know that both you and Neville will have someone to go to in times of need, whether in war, politics, or just everyday life.” “I shall enter into this bond with Neville,” Harry accepted nervously, while using the formal way of speaking. Harry dropped to one knee facing Neville, who did the same. Both boys were nervous, but determined. Augusta offered Harry a ceremonial dagger. He was to go first as he was already the Head of a Family. Harry calmly sliced himself on the inner part of his right wrist, thankful that magic would heal it quickly, then handed the dagger to Neville who did the same to his own right wrist. “I accept you into my family with my blood,” Harry said, grasping Neville’s forearm with his hand so their cuts were pressed together. “I accept you into my family with my blood,” Neville said, his voice shakier than Harry’s. “Our blood binds us as brothers the same as if we were born together,” they said as one. With a flash of light, the cuts were sealed, and like with the betrothal, each participant retained a scar. Augusta smiled proudly, knowing that they should have been raised as brothers and now actually were. |
| Reviews 46 |
Previous Next
|
