Chapter 11 – Petitions, Trials, and Tests
Time passed very swiftly after they received their grades. About a week after they sent the petition, he'd gotten a letter from Dumbledore requesting a meeting immediately following his arithmancy test. Harry kept up with his study schedule, and Hermione was very pleased with how well he was doing. She informed him that her parents had both fully mastered occlumency the day before Harry's test when he'd completed Hermione's practice test with a perfect score.
Later that day, Hermione finally decided on Harry's nickname. She'd been telling Sirius all about Harry's exploits over his first few years of Hogwarts, much to Harry's discomfort. After she'd talked about the Chamber of Secrets, Sirius exclaimed, "Wow, Harry! You are a regular hero!"
After Sirius had left for a few minutes, Hermione turned to Harry. "Hero. That is the perfect nickname for you."
"No," argued Harry, whose ears were turning pink. "I'm just not…"
"You made up whatever nickname you wanted, so I get to do the same, Hero," she declared, and then stuck out her tongue."
"Fine, Mine," conceded Harry. "But remember, you can only use that name when we're alone."
"Like now, Hero."
Harry grinned, "On the seventh Sunday of every month."
"Whatever, Hero. I know you're going to get a perfect score on the test tomorrow."
Harry sighed. "I hope I'll pass, anyway."
"You'll do more than pass, Harry. And I'm going with you to Hogwarts to cheer you on."
Harry winked. "I think you just want to crash my meeting with Dumbledore."
Hermione turned a bit pink. "I'm coming to support you taking the test," she insisted firmly. "But I did hope to help you in your meeting afterward, but if you don't want…"
"Of course I want you there, Mine!" assured Harry. "You can stop me from losing my temper if Dumbledore aggravates me. Besides, you know a lot more stuff to use to win an argument."
"You did just fine in your last argument, Hero. But I'll certainly help if I can."
-MITAB-
Before he knew it, Harry found himself in the Great Hall at Hogwarts with Sirius and Hermione, about a half hour early for his test.
"Don't be nervous," instructed his girlfriend. "You know that information backward and forward."
"I'm not, Hold on. Look over there."
Hermione turned where he was pointing, and saw a familiar red-haired girl standing with her red-haired mother. "Let's go and say hello," suggested Hermione, grabbing Harry's hand.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny," greeted Harry when they got to them.
"Oh, hello Harry, dear, Hermione," responded Mrs. Weasley.
"Hi, guys," said Ginny.
"And who is this gentleman with you?" asked Molly Weasley.
"I'm Harry's godfather, Sirius Black," Sirius answered, extending his hand to shake Molly's.
"S-Sirius Black?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm sure you've read in the Daily Prophet that I was cleared of all charges, once it came out that Peter Pettigrew framed me.
"Y-Yes, I read that. I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was just a bit startled to see you." She finally took Sirius' hand and shook it. "I'm Molly Weasley and this is my daughter Ginny."
"Weasley? Aren't you the family that was kind enough to offer taking Harry and Hermione to the World Cup?"
"Yes, we were. My husband is working on getting the tickets."
"If you don't mind, could you ask him to get one for me, too? I'd be glad to pay for it, and Harry's, too, if you like. I should be his legal guardian by then."
"His guardian? You're adopting Harry? What about those muggles, the Dursleys?"
"They never cared about him. They filled out the form to relinquish their rights, without trying to find out anything about me. Tomorrow at 10, we've got the court date, but that's just a formality."
"What brings you here?" asked Hermione.
"Some wonderful news!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley. "Ginny here was the best in her year, and is going to skip a year, so she'll be in class with you two."
Ginny's ears turned pink. "Only if I pass these tests."
"Of course you'll pass, dear," assured Mrs. Weasley. "She's been studying Ron's books all summer. She's been taking placement tests for her classes all day. She's done well in all of them so far. She just has a few more to take."
"I'm sure you'll do great, Ginny," reassured Harry, causing the redhead's face to turn pink.
"Congratulations, Ginny!" said Sirius.
"Yeah," agreed Hermione. "I'm sure you're looking forward to having classes with Ron."
This statement caused Mrs. Weasley to turn pale and look at the ground while Ginny slightly smiled. "Actually," Ginny explained, "Ron didn't do so well in his classes, so, er, he has to repeat them."
"It's a disgrace!" declared Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know where we went wrong. Bill, Charlie, and Percy did well in school. Ginny's doing even better than them. But Fred, George, and now Ron, just don't take their education seriously! Maybe this will get Ron to start studying."
"What about Fred and George?" asked Harry, curious. He hoped they hadn't failed.
"They hardly got any O.W.L.s," answered Ginny. "They're just lucky mum had already gotten the news about Ron, or she would've yelled at them a lot worse. Now they can say that at least they always passed their classes. By the way, why are you here?"
"I, er want to get out of Divination, so I'm taking a placement test for Arithmancy. If I pass, I'll never have to look at another crystal ball again."
"That's the next test I'm taking," replied Ginny. "I really had to study hard for this class."
"Harry's been studying all summer, too," commented Hermione.
"Hermione's been tutoring me," added Harry. "She's really good at it, too."
Hermione blushed. "He's been a really good student."
"Of course," replied Ginny. "I'm sure he enjoys your, uh, lessons," she remarked suggestively, causing both Harry and Hermione to blush while Sirius chuckled.
"Now, Ginny," scolded Mrs. Weasley. "You're embarrassing them. I'm sure that Hermione is a very good tutor, and if you have any good sense at all, Ginny, you'll ask her to help you study."
"We'd be glad to study with Ginny if she wants," promised Hermione immediately.
"There, you see," said Mrs. Weasley. You should be thankful you already have friends that'll be in your new grade."
"I am, mother," She then turned to Harry and Hermione. "I would like to study with you, and I promise not to glare at you two like Ron. But please, don't turn our study sessions into your snogging sessions." Harry, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley all blushed at that while Sirius laughed. "Unless, of course, I have a snogging partner, too."
"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" shouted her mother. "Just because you're in a class with older students doesn't mean you're old enough for that!"
Whatever reply Ginny had to this was interrupted by the announcement that the Arithmancy test was about to begin. After everyone wished both Ginny and Harry good luck, they left to take their test. While those two were doing that, Molly, Hermione, and Sirius chatted. When Hermione asked where Ron was, Mrs. Weasley told her, "He's home pouting. If that boy studied as much as he pouts, he'd have been advanced to seventh year by now!" causing the others to have a good laugh at Ron's expense.
About two hours after they'd left, a very exhausted but happy looking Ginny and Harry approached the others. "How'd you do," asked Hermione, Sirius, and Molly at the same time.
"We both got the same score," answered Harry, chuckling.
"Ninety-five percent," added Ginny.
"That's wonderful!" squealed Hermione as she threw her arms around Harry.
"Congrats, pup," said Sirius, slapping Harry on the back. "You too, Ginny."
"Thanks," replied the redhead girl as her mother released her from a bone-crushing embrace.
"Well," announced Harry. "We've got to go now. We've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore about something."
"Is this about…" asked Ginny.
"Yes," answered Hermione.
"Well, good luck," wished Ginny.
"You, too," replied Harry, Sirius, and Hermione together as they walked toward Professor Dumbledore's office.
-MITAB-
"Enter," responded the aged professor when he heard a knock at the door. He was surprised to see that Harry wasn't alone. "Hello, Harry, Hermione, Sirius. It's good to see you. How have you been this summer?"
"Fine, sir," answered Harry.
"I assume you all know what this meeting is about," asked Dumbledore.
"The petition we sent you," replied Hermione.
"I must admit I was surprised to see your signature on the petition, Miss Granger. According to our records, you haven't had trouble in any of your classes, although your potions grade did slip a bit."
"That git lowered my grade only because I'm dating Harry, the boy he's absolutely hated for no reason, since he set foot in the school!" Hermione burst out, surprising everyone in the room.
"Professor Snape…"
"He's not worthy of that title, sir," stated Hermione calmly. "He conducts himself in a completely unprofessional way, as is outlined in our petition, which the vast majority of students has signed."
Dumbledore sighed. "Both Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney, although she doesn't know it, require my protection in relationship to Voldemort and his followers."
The three guests gasped. Harry recovered first. "Just because they need protection does not make them good teachers. You have been subjecting students to a poor level of education in those subjects for over a decade, just because those people require protection."
"They wouldn't feel good about themselves if they were doing nothing," argued Dumbledore, now going pink.
"Feel good about themselves!" repeated Hermione furiously. "Every year, Trelawney has repeatedly told one of her students that he or she is going to die! Snape tries to make every student who's not in Slytherin feel worthless and stupid! Not only has he picked on Harry from day one, but he has poor Neville so scared of him, that his Boggart takes on Snape's form! Don't you even care about the students here?"
Dumbledore's face went red. "Of course I care about the students here! They always come first!"
"Then why do you keep a history of magic teacher who does nothing but bore the class to sleep? The only way anybody learns that subject is by reading the book!" replied Harry
"Or a Muggle Studies professor who knows nothing about muggles," added Hermione. "Anyone who teaches that class should be muggle-raised! Harry or I could teach that class better than the professor! The sad part is that most people who do well in that class actually believe they know about muggles."
"The quality of education at Hogwarts is at an all time low, Professor Dumbledore," stated Sirius, speaking for the first time since entering the office. "And these children, along with everyone who signed that petition, are demanding that you, as headmaster, do something about it."
"I can't just sack four teachers at the same time," argued Dumbledore, frustrated. "Do you know how difficult it is to replace them?"
"I thought the students always came first," quoted Harry, "or is that just when it's convenient?"
Dumbledore put his head down. "I can't…"
"If you don't, we'll send a copy of the petition to every school governor," threatened Hermione. "If that doesn't work, we'll send it to the ministry itself. Of course, you know what they'll probably do when they get the petition. Just sack the headmaster and hire someone who cares about the quality of education at Hogwarts."
Harry added, "You'd deserve it, too, headmaster."
Dumbledore sighed. "I'll see what I can do."
"No," countered Sirius. "You're the headmaster. You can sack them all today! Unless you can prove that they actually are good teachers, contrary to the opinion of the vast majority of their students, that's what you have to do if you want to keep your job."
"You can't threaten me!" argued Dumbledore, glaring at Black.
"I'm not threatening you. I'm just telling you what you know will happen." Then Sirius smiled at his former headmaster. "Wouldn't you feel better about yourself if you knew you were giving your students the best possible education the way you used to?"
Dumbledore sighed, defeated. "Yes, I would feel better. I've been wrestling with my conscience since I hired Professors Snape and Trelawney, telling myself it's for the greater good. But the greater good truly is the student's education. As for the other two, I simply haven't had the heart to sack them, but you're right. I've been doing a lot more harm than good.
I intend to follow your advice about muggle studies, Miss Granger. I'll try to find someone muggle-raised. Perhaps even a muggle who's aware of us. Someone like your parents, Miss Granger, although as I understand it, they're perfectly content in their careers. Maybe even a squib who lives as a muggle." Professor Dumbledore scratched his chin. He mumbled something like, "…since he's not living there she doesn't need…" and then he remarked with a grandfatherly smile. "That reminds me, Mr. Potter, for school records; where exactly are you and Sirius living now?
Harry contemplated his answer. He could lie about it, but what would be the point? He assumed Dumbledore would know Sirius was aware of Potter Manor. Besides, knowing the name of the place didn't give away its location. "Potter Manor."
Dumbledore's eyes went wide. "Potter Manor, all right. Could you refresh an old man's memory? What is its address?"
Harry smiled. "I do not wish to allow any records of Potter Manor's location to exist."
"I quite understand, my boy. Especially considering your past…"
While Dumbledore was speaking, Harry felt the familiar tingling sensation of Legilimency. His shields went up immediately, causing Dumbledore to flinch. Harry stood up angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing, probing my mind?!" he shouted.
"Harry?" asked Dumbledore. "You know Occlumency?"
"Yes!" shouted the still angry teenager. "I learned it because Snape was reading my mind! I never thought you were low enough to do it, too! Just how many times have you read my mind, sir? What about the other students?"
"I apologize for the invasion of privacy," replied Dumbledore, facing angry glares from the three people in front of him. "I merely wanted to put up extra wards to protect it."
"More likely to spy on me."
"Professor," said Hermione. "Potter Manor is extremely well protected, but if there are specific wards you feel should be there, tell us what they are. We'll learn how to put them up."
"Never mind," responded the Professor. "You're dismissed."
"All right," commented Harry as he was getting up. "We'll be watching the Daily Prophet for news about those teachers. If they're not sacked within a week, we'll do what we said."
-MITAB-
The next day at 9:45, Harry found himself standing in the visitor center of the Ministry of Magic headquarters. Sirius had apparated there, bringing Harry with him. After they had checked their wands in, a process that Harry found disturbing, they were directed to the elevator, where they ran into Ron and Ginny's dad. "Hello, Mr. Weasley," greeted Harry upon spotting him inside the elevator.
"Oh, hello Harry!" he replied, shaking Harry's hand enthusiastically, "How are you?"
"I'm fine. This is…"
"Sirius Black, I presume," Arthur concluded, shaking Sirius' hand. When Sirius nodded, Arthur explained, "Molly told me about meeting you yesterday. She also said you were petitioning for custody of Harry today."
"That's right," confirmed Sirius.
"I'm sure you'll have no problem with that, now that your name's cleared," he assured. "Molly also said you'd like to see the World Cup with us."
Sirius smiled, "Yes, if it's not intruding."
"Not at all," responded Mr. Weasley enthusiastically. "But never mind about the cost. If I can get them, they'll be free. You may want to bring some galleons with you for souvenirs, though."
"I will," promised Sirius.
"Well," remarked Arthur, "this is where I get off. Nice seeing you again, Harry, and good meeting you, Sirius."
When they got to their destination, they found that it was a very small room with a desk in the center and a few dozen chairs in the back. The five people in those chairs, who had obviously already witnessed other proceedings in that courtroom today, appeared very bored. However, when they noticed Harry's scar, they immediately began paying close attention.
The judge, a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair that she wore in a pony tail, was already seated at the desk. She was wearing black ministry robes, and Harry noticed her eyes glance at his famous scar for just a moment when they entered, before she spoke. "We now begin the case of Sirius Black's request for custody of Harry Potter to be taken from Vernon and Petunia Dursley and given to him. Everyone who is at these proceedings is required to tell the truth. Failure to do so will result in time in Azkaban. This will be an informal hearing. We have the form that the Dursleys, Harry's current guardians, filled out, relinquishing their claims on Mr. Potter. Sirius Black, according to our records, as well as the form you submitted, you were one of the Potters' closest friends, and they asked you to be Harry's godfather. Soon after their deaths, you were falsely accused of betraying them, and were sent to Azkaban. You were recently cleared of all former charges, and now wish to accept your responsibility as Harry's godfather. Is this correct?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"It also indicates that you have ample resources to care for yourself and Mr. Potter."
"That's also correct."
"Well then, since everything seems to be in order, I just have a few questions for Harry Potter."
"Yes, your honor," responded Harry.
"How well do you know Sirius Black?"
"I'd say I know him pretty well. I've been living with him for about a month."
"Do you like living with Sirius Black?"
"Yes."
"Do you want Sirius Black to be your guardian?"
"Yes."
"Then, unless anybody here has any objections," She waited a few seconds to allow anyone to speak, but no one did. "I hereby grant legal custody of Harry James Potter to Sirius Black. This hearing is adjurned."
Sirius hugged Harry excitedly, and they left the ministry, stopping by Arthur's office to tell him the good news. When they apparated back to Potter Manor, they found Hermione already waiting there for the news. "Well?" she asked expectantly.
Sirius glanced at Harry and winked. They both put on sad expressions. Harry replied, "The judge mentioned about Sirius spending time in Azkaban."
"She also talked about the Dursleys," added Sirius.
Hermione looked horrified, "She didn't tell you to move back in with them?"
Harry couldn't keep up the charade. With a big smile on his face he answered, "No, she granted Sirius custody! I'm free of the Dursleys forever!"
Hermione slapped Harry in the back of the head. "Ouch!" he replied. "What was that for?"
"For making me think Sirius didn't get custody." Then her face brightened up and she pulled him into a big hug. "I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to tell my parents when they get back from work! We've got to celebrate! Why don't we use that pavilion of yours and have a picnic? It's a beautiful day!"
"Maybe we can go swimming in my pool, too!" suggested Harry. "Now that I've passed my test, I have some time to enjoy myself.
"Okay, I'll have to get my swimsuit. I'll be right back!"
After having Dobby make them a picnic lunch, Harry and Sirius went to their rooms (Sirius insisted that Harry had the master bedroom and he had the one next to it, which had the TV) to change into swimwear and came downstairs. They waited five minutes for Hermione to floo back in her swimsuit that Sirius taunted Harry about liking too much. They went swimming before eating. Sirius conjured a beach ball and a net in the pool, then Harry played Hermione a game of water-volleyball, while Sirius acted as judge to make sure neither cheated with summoning or repelling charms.
When they were finished, they found that Dobby had laid out beach towels for them. After they'd dried out some, they sat under the pavilion and ate lunch. While they were eating, Sirius asked, "What do you say tomorrow I take you shopping for those muggle portable computers you want?"
"That sounds perfect!" exclaimed Harry.
"I'll just have to tell my parents and find out how much they'll let me spend on mine," commented Hermione.
"Harry, did you tell her about what I wanted to teach you guys?"
"Tell me what?" asked Hermione.
"Not yet, Sirius. I was rather busy."
"Tell me what?" asked Hermione again.
"I'd like to start teaching you guys to become animagi," answered Sirius.
Hermione's eyes widened. She excitedly demanded, "Harry, why didn't you tell me sooner? This should be exciting! But what if I don't have a form? How long will it take?"
"Hermione," responded Harry, "calm down. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was concentrating on Arithmancy, which you helped me with tremendously. As for the other questions, you'll have to ask Sirius.
"Well, Hermione," explained Sirius, "It is exciting, but it does take time. Tomorrow, I'm gonna give you both a copy of a book I want you to read within the next week, and then we'll talk about it. I'd be very surprised if you don't have an animal form. I'd estimate that we'll find that out by Christmas, and that within a year from now you should both be able to transform."
"Why so long?" asked Harry.
"Well, for one thing," clarified Sirius, "You'll have to take a potion that takes four months to brew. I've started it already, but it won't be ready before you go back to school, so you'll take the potion during your Christmas break. After that, you'll start the slow process of learning to transform." He then smiled. "You'll have to sneak around Hogwarts to do it. Just remember if you're caught to simply pretend you were snogging." He then winked while Harry and Hermione blushed. "Speaking of which, I think I'll be headed back into the house. I'll leave you two out here to, er, talk. You may want to take a walk around the grounds." He then got up and left.
After spending a few hours with Hermione, kissing, talking about nothing, kissing, walking around the grounds, and kissing, Harry walked into his bedroom to do something he'd wanted to do since he'd last seen the Dursleys. He picked up the box Petunia had given him, that used to belong to his mother, and opened it.
Chapter 12 – What's in the Box?
When Harry looked into the box his mother gave him, he noticed some pieces of jewelry on top of some papers. He gently placed the jewelry on his bed, decided to look through the papers first. The first piece of paper he found was a piece of muggle notebook paper that had been folded neatly in thirds. He unfolded it to see it was a letter written in green ink, and upon glancing at the bottom, he saw, for the first time in his life, his mother's signature. Harry read his letter
My dearest Harry,
If you are reading this letter, then it means that both your father and I have died, but somehow you've survived. I left this box with your Aunt Petunia because I don't think Voldemort will attack her. I've instructed her to give this to you and Sirius immediately if we die. The first thing I want to say is that we both love you more than we ever thought possible, and that if our deaths have somehow allowed you to survive, then we haven't died in vain. You matter more to us than anything, and our only regret is that we weren't around to watch you grow into a man.
We went into hiding to try to protect you from Voldemort. He has targeted you because of a prophecy that was given to Professor Dumbledore. If you don't know about it yet, demand that he show you the memory in his pensieve immediately! His heart is in the right place, but he has a habit of withholding information when he believes it is 'for the greater good.' I can't risk writing it down here, but it is extremely important that you know about it as soon as possible so that you can prepare!
We've told everyone that Sirius Black is our secret-keeper, but that's not true. In actuality, Peter Pettigrew is our secret-keeper, and if we are dead, it may be that he has betrayed us. If that happened, then everyone may think Sirius was the traitor. If they arrest him, the truth should come out in his trial when they question him under veritaserum, but if the truth hasn't come out, then tell the authorities about this immediately! Sirius Black is a good man, and shouldn't have to pay for another's crime.
We hope that Sirius Black has survived, stayed out of prison, and raised you. If he has, then I'm sure he's already told you about us. I just want to make sure you know what your father was like from my point of view. When I first met him, I thought he was an arrogant git that half the girls at Hogwarts wanted to date for reasons that I couldn't fathom. He always was handsome, and even as a baby, you appear to have inherited that trait.
I eventually came to know him as a good-hearted man who simply enjoyed pulling pranks on the deserving, usually Slytherins. I used to try to defend his and his friends, "The Marauders," victims until one day he was picking on a Slytherin by the name of Snape. After I defended him, he had the nerve to call me a mudblood. I didn't admit it at the time, but at that moment, I realized that the bigot had it coming. Snape eventually became a Death Eater, although rumor has it, he's working for Professor Dumbledore now. I wonder what the Headmaster's playing at.
Anyway, after that incident, I came to realize that the Marauders actually were bringing justice to people that society was unwilling to punish. When people at school get into a fight, both parties are punished, no matter what it was about. People like Snape who strut around full of themselves, insulting others who are only trying to help them, deserve to have someone demonstrate that they're not as great as they think. I'll never admit it to your father, but I hope you do the same thing to people like them. After I realized what they were doing, I was more open to his flirting with me, and eventually went out with him. We fell in love, got married, and along came you. James loves you and I more than anything, and he would duel Voldemort himself for either of us.
I, on the other hand, have been more or less a bookworm. More than once I've been called an insufferable know-it-all. I've been accused of memorizing the entire Hogwarts library, but it's not true. There were many books in the restricted section that I didn't have time to read. At least a dozen. What can I say, I think knowledge is very useful, and I love learning. I hope that you inherit that trait, at least partially. Your father says I'm pretty. There are photos of me, as well as your father and our friends at the bottom of this box, so you can decide for yourself whether you agree.
Now, I'll tell you about the contents of this box. It contains a few self-explanatory documents, such as our marriage license and your birth certificate. As I mentioned, I've left a photo album with every picture labeled in it. I hope that you've had the opportunity to meet most of the people in those photographs.
Also enclosed are your father's and my wedding bands. They are connected by a charm that works this way. If someone rubs the jewel of one of them, the other will heat up (not enough to burn you, only to alert you) and the person wearing it will know where the other is located, and will even be able to apparate directly to that location (provided they know how to apparate). If wards are blocking the exact location, then the person will apparate just outside of the wards. The rings will work whether worn on any finger or on a chain around the neck, so you don't have to wait until you're married to protect and be protected by someone special. The important thing is that it has to be touching skin to work, so it can't be in a pocket.
My engagement ring is also included, but alas, it has no charms on it, except for its beauty. There are also two necklaces enclosed. One is gold and has a locket in the shape of a lion. It contains a photo of your father and me on one side, and a photo of you as a newborn on the other side. Your father used to wear it under his shirt to keep his family near his heart.
The other necklace is silver, and is the shape of a stag. Your father gave it to me while we were dating. It's charmed so that it works as a shield against most minor hexes. It weakens some stronger hexes as well. I still think that the best block is not to be there, but a little extra protection never hurts. As a muggleborn bookworm who got the best grades in school, I was often the target of pranks by bigots, and when I started dating James Potter, their pranks only increased. Most of the time, I was able to defend myself against those idiots who thought that they were automatically more powerful than me, simply because of who their parents were. They didn't realize that studying and practicing hexes helps one to be very formidable, and allows one the pleasure of humiliating pureblood bigots.
Please take your studying seriously, but don't forget to enjoy yourself. Although I'll never understand his obsession over the game, your father greatly enjoyed Quidditch. Maybe you will, too. I don't know how old you'll be when you read this letter, but I hope that one day you'll meet a nice girl (whether muggle or witch) that loves you as much as I love your father. I also hope that one day you'll know the joy of fatherhood, and understand how much James and I care for you.
I guess I've rambled on and on, but that's my privilege as your mother. There isn't enough space on this paper or enough words in this language to tell you how much your father and I love you, and I hope you love us, too. I don't know what comes after death, but if it's possible, we'll be watching over you.
I will love you forever. Never forget that.
Your mum,
Lily Potter
By the time Harry finished the letter, tears were freely flowing down his cheeks. He hugged the letter to his chest as he whispered, "I love you too, mum." He sat in his bed thinking about all that the letter had said. He realized that his mother must have been a lot like Hermione. He wished he could have seen his father pull a good prank on Snape. He then considered that Snape had called his mum a mudblood, which gave him one more reason to add to the list of why he hated Snape.
He angrily realized that if the Dursleys had given the box to him earlier, Sirius wouldn't have spent as much time in Azkaban. He also remembered the end of his first year at Hogwarts, when he'd asked Dumbledore why Voldemort had wanted to kill him. Dumbledore refused to answer, promising to tell him he'd answer when he was older, and to 'put it from your mind for now, Harry.' At the time, he'd accepted that kind of answer from Dumbledore, but no more. His mum had mentioned something about a pensieve. He'd have to ask Hermione or Sirius what that is.
Thoughts of Hermione made him examine the jewelry his mother had left him. He'd immediately decided to give the silver stag necklace, as well as one of the wedding rings, to Hermione. They could wear the rings on strings or chains around their necks. He briefly considered how many necklaces Hermione would end up wearing. She had the locket he'd given her on Valentine's Day, as well as that strange hourglass necklace she wouldn't let him touch. He figured she could also wear the ring on another finger if she liked. Both rings were gold, with a red gem that looked like a ruby on each. He then briefly glanced at the legal documents. He didn't notice anything unusual there except for a few deeds to houses he was already aware of.
He finally reached the bottom of the box, where the photo album was. It had muggle pictures of his mother growing up from the time she was a baby until she went to Hogwarts. Some of them included her parents, as well as Petunia. One picture that stood out to Harry was of Lily and Petunia standing with their arms around each other's shoulders. His mum couldn't have been older than ten. They appeared to be very close at that time. "Before she got her Hogwarts letter," Harry thought to himself.
After that, most of the pictures, even the ones with Lily's family, were moving pictures. He saw his mum wearing her Gryffindor uniform in several pictures. He noticed a few girls, one from Gryffindor and the other from Ravenclaw, that appeared in several of them. He also found pictures of his parents together in their school robes, even a few with other Marauders. He was pleased to see that every one with Peter Pettigrew in them had him cowering in a corner while the others glared at him.
He saw several pictures from his parents' wedding, as well as a single picture from Vernon and Petunia's wedding, which had a notation that said even though they weren't invited to the wedding, she'd gotten her sister to mail one picture to her. He also saw several with him as a baby, including one of him being held by each of the Marauders. He chuckled when he saw himself crying in the one where Wormtail was holding him.
-MITAB-
The next morning, Harry woke up early in anticipation of the events of the day. This was Harry's first time waking up knowing that the Dursleys had no legal claim on him! Harry was going to show the contents of his mum's box to Sirius and Hermione. Hermione and he were going to get their laptops, and get started working on them. Sirius was going to give them books on becoming animagi. This was definitely going to be a busy day! He took his mum's box downstairs with him, intending on showing the contents and giving Hermione the charms before they left. When he got downstairs, he was surprised to see his godfather already up, eating an omelet that Dobby had apparently made. He said, "Good morning, Sirius," just as he sat down at the table.
Before Sirius could reply, Dobby popped at Harry's side and enthusiastically greeted, "Good morning, Harry Potter, sir! Is Harry Potter wishing for breakfast?"
"Yes, Dobby. That would be great," answered Harry. He didn't think he'd ever get used to having a servant, even if he was getting paid.
"What is Harry Potter wanting?" asked Dobby.
"Er, the same thing Sirius has got."
Dobby snapped his fingers, causing a plate with an omelet to appear, along with a glass of pumpkin juice. Dobby then asked, "Is there anything else that Harry Potter wishes Dobby to do, sir?"
"No, Dobby. Thanks for the breakfast." Dobby then disappeared.
"Is that your mother's box you brought with you, pup?" asked Sirius.
"Yeah," replied Harry. "I went through it last night, and I wanted to show you and Hermione what was in it."
Sirius smiled. "I'm glad you want to share this with me. Do you want to wait for Hermione?"
"No, that's okay. I can show you now, and then when she shows up, I'll show her in private. Which reminds me, based off of the letter, my mum seems to be a lot like Hermione."
Sirius smiled. "Yes, she was, Harry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable by mentioning it, but Hermione does remind me a lot of your mother." Sirius sighed. "Now, let's see what's in the box."
"The first thing I should show you is the letter my mum wrote me."
While Sirius was reading the letter, Harry could see him look very sad at some parts, angry at others, and happy at others. Aside from chuckling a bit at what Harry figured was memories of the Marauders, Sirius was silent while he read the letter. When he was finished, he grinned. "Lily never admitted that she approved of the Marauders' pranks." Harry chuckled. "If I'd known that the Dursleys could've gotten me out of Azkaban years ago just by giving you what was yours, I'd have been a lot less friendly when we visited them."
"Yeah," agreed Harry, "But you'd have landed yourself back in Azkaban, and this time you'd have been guilty."
"I suppose so. Lily and James never told us about this prophecy. I don't suppose Dumbledore told you about it."
"Well," explained Harry, "Near the end of my first year at Hogwarts, I asked him why Voldemort tried to kill me. He said he'd tell me when I'm older, and I should put that question out of my mind."
"That sounds just like Dumbledore!" grumbled Sirius, clearly upset. "He always decides who gets to know what! If this prophesy is about you, then you have the right to know about it! Come to think of it, as your guardian I have the right, too!" At that moment, an owl flew inside, carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet. After Sirius took the paper and paid the bird, he remarked, "Let's see if Dumbledore's kept his promise about the teachers yet."
He unrolled the paper and smiled when he read the headline. He put it on the table so Harry could read it, too.
"Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts sacks four teachers on the same day!
By Rita Skeeter
In an unprecedented move, Albus Dumbledore has just terminated Professors Snape of Potions, Trelawney of Divination, Binns of History of Magic, and Willoford of Muggle Studies. When asked about his decision, Professor Dumbledore explained, 'Over two thirds of my students signed a petition demanding that I raise the quality of education. After investigating their allegations, I came to realize the errors I have made in allowing those professors to continue teaching here. I wish to apologize to the parents for subjecting their children to a lower quality of education in those subjects, and promise to raise the quality of education back to where it should be for as long as I am headmaster. I've simply been reminded that the students should always come first.'
Professor Snape, who was also the head of Slytherin house, on the other hand, said that the petition was, 'Utter nonsense,' and that Professor Dumbledore was letting 'Harry Potter run the school.' Potter was one of the many students to sign the petition. Interestingly enough, the only people we could find that had anything good to say about Snape were students from his own house. This shouldn't be surprising, considering that one of the many allegations on the petition, which is on page twelve, was that he favored his own students.
Trelawney appeared distraught, but claimed she had foreseen it. When this reporter asked if that meant she'd found another job, she refused to comment. One of the accusations against her is that she is a fraud. Binns is a ghost that has bored generation of students, including this reporter, and had no comment, which was a great relief. This reporter was concerned that he would bore us with a five hour lecture on the history of Hogwarts.
Willoford also had no comment, although an investigation into his past suggests that he has never once in his life left the wizarding community. We can't even prove he's ever met a muggle. What this reporter wonders is why Albus Dumbledore has let these kind of teachers stay at Hogwarts until the students, sick of the low quality of education, had to practically force their headmaster to do anything about it. Of course, Professor Dumbledore has always been eccentric…"
"Well," remarked Sirius, "At least the Prophet favors the teachers getting fired. You may notice that this particular reporter seems incapable of portraying anybody in a positive light."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, "I agree with what she said about Dumbledore waiting until we demanded a change."
"Yes, you do, but think about it. She could have made Dumbledore look bad by claiming the teachers were good. Or she could have made Dumbledore look good by claiming the teachers were bad. Instead, she's made all of them look bad so that parents who read this paper will be glad there are new teachers, but still don't have confidence in the headmaster." He sighed. "She didn't even really compliment the students for demanding a better education. If she'd wanted, she could have pointed out how the petition was spearheaded by you and Hermione, two students at the top of their year."
"I don't really like to be famous, but I see your point," admitted Harry. "At least that would be for something I did."
At that moment, Hermione came through the fireplace beaming, carrying her own copy of the paper as she made her way to the dining room. "Good morning, Harry, Sirius!" She then noticed the paper on the table. "I see you've already gotten the good news," she commented, and then kissed Harry.
After they discussed the article for a few minutes, Hermione noticed the box on the table. "Harry," she asked, "Is that what I think it is?"
"If you think it's the box from my mother, then yes."
"I think I'll go to my room for something," announced Padfoot.
Harry nodded, "Thanks, Sirius," as the door closed. He then turned to Hermione. "I already showed him the stuff, and I told him I wanted to be alone with you for this."
She smiled. "Okay."
She started crying right after she began reading, and didn't stop. When she was done, she hugged Harry tightly. After a few minutes in that embrace, when Hermione had stopped crying, she pulled out of their embrace enough so she could face him. "She really loved you, Harry."
Harry smiled. "I know." He then looked her directly in the eyes. "Does she remind you of anybody?"
"Er," Hermione blushed, "Well, I guess a little bit like, er, me. I have been called a know-it-all."
Harry chuckled. "I asked Sirius if you really were like my mum, and he said that you are very much like her."
Hermione turned even redder. "I know we both love you."
Harry then looked serious. "There are a few things I want you to have." He then took his mother's wedding ring and necklace out of the box. He was already wearing his father's ring on his right index finger.
"No, Harry. You can't give those to me. They're too important!"
"You're important to me, Mine! They can help protect you. Please Mine, take them for me." He then proceeded to give her the most pathetic puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen in her life.
She sighed. "Since I know you won't take no for an answer." She took the ring and put it on her right index finger as she'd noticed Harry had done. She then instructed, "Fasten the necklace around me, Hero."
He did as she asked, noticing the heart locket that was already hanging from her neck. Realizing something was missing, he asked, "Where's that hourglass necklace at?"
She took a deep breath. "I suppose I can tell you about it now that I've returned it to Professor McGonagall. It's a Time-Turner."
"A what?"
"A device that allowed me to travel back in time so I could attend two classes at once."
Harry looked amazed. "That's how you handled that crazy schedule! I wondered, but I figured if you didn't want to tell me it was none of my business."
She smiled at him. "That's one of the reasons I love you. You respect my privacy. I wanted to tell you about it, but I'd promised McGonagall I wouldn't."
"Why'd you return it?" asked Harry.
"It was driving me crazy. I think it would have been even worse if I didn't have you. I don't need it now that I've dropped Muggle Studies and Divination."
"Why did you say it was dangerous?"
"I said it can be dangerous," corrected Hermione. "Before she let me have it, she lectured me on how many wizards and witches have lost their lives meddling with time and told me not to use it for any other reason than to attend my classes."
"Okay. So you didn't do anything dangerous with it, then?"
"No, Hero."
"All right. You ready to get Sirius so we can get some serious laptops?"
She smiled. "All right."
They carried the box up to Harry's room and then knocked on his guardian's door.
"Come in," they heard his voice call from inside the room.
They opened the door and saw him sitting on his bed staring at a piece of parchment. "What's that?" asked Harry.
"A letter I just got from Dumbledore." He then looked up at them. "He wants me to teach potions and to be the head of Slytherin."
Chapter 13 – Decisions
"Slytherin?!" exclaimed Harry. "What's he playing at? You're a Gryffindor!"
"I know," agreed Sirius. "The rest of my family was in Slytherin, and I was proud to not be like them! Maybe I'll teach, but I don't want anything to do with Slytherin!"
"You're good at potions?" asked Hermione, clearly curious.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. Professor Slughorn, he was the teacher at the time, always said I had a gift for it. I got an 'O' in both my O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. in the subject. Before I was arrested, I used to make Moony's potion for him."
"Wolfsbane?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah." He sighed. "I guess I might as well accept the teaching job. I don't have anything else lined up, and it'll give me a chance to put the two of you in detention. But I won't take that Head of Slytherin position!"
"Maybe you should," suggested Hermione, causing both Harry and Padfoot to stare at her. She looked determinately at them and explained, "Think about it. A child would display ambition and possibly evil potential to the sorting hat, so it puts them into Slytherin. Then, under Snape's guidance, they learn to achieve their goals through cheating, lying, and favoritism. Their head of house always looked the other way when they did wrong.
"Harry, you remember what happened when you got in that fight with Malfoy last January. Snape took points from me for telling him that Malfoy called me a mudblood! Maybe with a head of house who won't let them get away with that sort of thing, those kids may turn out better. Sirius, you can even tell them about Azkaban, the place many of them seem to be headed. I think Snape was teaching every one of them to be Death Eaters!"
Harry was agreeing with her logic, but then was confused by a term she'd used. "What's a Death Eater? I know you called Malfoy the son of one, but I don't know what it means."
Sirius answered the question. "Voldemort's supporters. And she's right to call Lucius Malfoy one. He was part of Voldemort's inner circle. He was arrested, his family donated a large amount of gold to the ministry, and he was released, claiming he was being controlled. All those idiots had to do was roll up his sleeve to see his Dark Mark, but those imbeciles that took his bribe wouldn't allow it!"
Harry smiled, "It would be worth it just to see the look on Draco Malfoy's face when he finds out my guardian is his head of house."
Sirius took a deep breath. "Harry, do you really want me to take that position?"
"Yes. I think so."
"All right!" Sirius decided. "Now let's go to that muggle electronics store I've heard so much about."
-MITAB-
Sirius apparated Harry near the store, and then came back to apparate Hermione. When they arrived, the salesperson they'd had previously recognized Harry and Hermione immediately from their past purchase of about half the store. "Hello, again. May I help you?"
"Yes," answered Hermione. "Would you mind showing us your laptop computers?"
After spending a few minutes looking, Harry picked out the best one they had. It had a twenty inch screen with the latest graphics card, etc. Sirius decided that since he was teaching, he'd get one of his own, provided the two kids promised to show him how to use it. The one Harry had picked out cost a few hundred pounds more than Hermione's parents had specified she could spend, so she was going to settle for a lesser one until Harry insisted that he make up the difference and had the salesperson split the cost into two receipts – one that was how much her parents wanted to spend, and the other was the rest of the cost, which was to be added to Harry's bill. When he went to pay for it, Sirius announced, "I'm paying for that, along with my computer," and proceeded to pull muggle money out of his wallet.
-MITAB-
After they'd apparated back to Potter Manor, Hermione announced, "I'm going to charm my laptop now, and I want both of you to pay attention because I want you to charm your own."
"Come on, Hermione, you know your a lot smarter than us," pleaded Harry. "What if we mess them up?"
She rolled her eyes at them, "You won't mess them up if you just pay attention."
Sirius added, "I don't know anything about how to work a computer."
"You don't need to understand everything. Just do what I do." They all set their laptops side by side at the table, and the two males imitated exactly what Hermione did. The result was that all three laptops were working perfectly, with a magical battery and Internet connection just like Harry's PCs. After she'd inspected them and put them on their private network, she declared, "See, I knew you could both do it. Now, let's put a few library books onto the network."
"That reminds me," remarked Sirius, "I was gonna give you the books on becoming animals today."
Hermione then performed a spell that copied the contents of some of the books from the library, including Lily Potter's book on charming muggle plugs as well as the book on animagi, onto the main computer on the fifth floor so that any of the laptops could access it. That way, they could easily be searched through for keywords, instead of visually scanning page after page. They immediately tested it with the laptops, all of which had easy, fast access to the books.
After they'd copied about a dozen books, Dobby popped up and announced, "Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and Hermione Granger, Dobby is reminding you that it is lunch time. What is you wanting?"
Hermione spoke first. "Pizza, with pepperoni and sausage."
"And extra cheese," added Harry.
Sirius grinned, "And Brussels sprouts."
"No!" exclaimed a distraught Harry. "Dobby, I'm your master and I say that NEVER EVER, under any circumstances are you to put brussels sprouts on a pizza! Is that clear?"
Dobby bowed to the ground, "Yes, Harry Potter, sir." He then turned to Sirius, who was laughing along with Hermione. "Dobby is sorry, sir, but Dobby cannot be putting brussels sprouts on the pizza."
After lunch, Hermione charmed both printers to work magically and print on parchment. When she was finished, she said, "Harry."
"Yeah?"
"When are you going to talk to Professor Dumbledore about that prophecy your mother mentioned?"
"I believe Lily said to do it immediately," answered Sirius.
"I guess we should," agreed Harry. "Maybe we can floo his office to see if he's there. I'd like both of you with me."
"All right," responded Sirius. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Great," replied Harry. "Padfoot, could you floo him while I get the letter?"
Sirius asked, "Don't you know how to summon it yet?"
"Er," answered Harry, "I think that's a fourth year spell."
Hermione looked exasperated. "Honestly. Pay attention to me." She pointed her wand toward the stairs and cast, "Accio, Mrs. Potter's letter." Sirius made the call while Harry watched for the letter.
Almost as soon as the letter floated into Hermione's waiting hand, Sirius called out to them, "Come on, guys. He says we can floo to his office now."
Within just a few minutes, Harry found himself falling forward from Professor Dumbledore's fireplace. Fortunately, he'd remembered to remove his glasses first, so they didn't fall down and break.
As Harry put his glasses back on, the aged Headmaster greeted them, "Welcome, Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. What can I do for you? I trust you've seen today's Daily Prophet, as well as my offer of employment."
"Yes, we have," agreed Harry, "And we're very glad you kept your promise."
"And after careful consideration," added Sirius, "I've decided to accept your offer."
"Splendid!" replied Dumbledore.
"I must say that I am curious as to why you wanted me to be the head of Slytherin house, but that's not the purpose we're here for."
"My motive for choosing you is so that you can try to undo the damage Severus has done in the way he has taught the Slytherins."
Hermione smiled. "I knew that was the reason. I tried to tell him."
Dumbledore chuckled, "You really are the brightest witch of your age. Now Sirius, you said there was a different reason you wanted to see me."
"Yes, Albus," he answered, "There is. Harry has recently come into possession of a letter that his mother wrote before she died."
Harry could swear that the headmaster's complexion paled a bit at this statement. "Have you?"
"Yes," responded Harry. "It says that Voldemort wanted to kill me because of a prophecy that was given to you."
Dumbledore's ears became a bit pink.
"Lily said that Harry should demand for you to show him the prophecy in your pensieve immediately," added Sirius.
"Sirius," explained Dumbledore in a grandfatherly way. "I believe that Harry is too young to be burdened with something like that."
"He was also too young to have his parents murdered," replied Sirius. "He was also too young to be left on the doorstep of people who hated him!"
"Professor," asserted Hermione politely. "If this prophesy has to do with Harry, then he has the right to see it."
"Yeah," agreed Harry. "And I want the people most important to me, Sirius and Hermione, to see it, too!"
"This is a secret that cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands," argued Dumbledore sternly.
"All of us knows occlumency," answered Hermione. "Will you tell Harry what he has the right to know or not?"
Dumbledore took a deep breath and resignedly put his wand to his forehead as he got up and opened the black cabinet where his pensieve was located. He pulled out the silvery string of memory from his mind while Harry watched. He was very confused but didn't want to look stupid, so he said nothing.
When Dumbledore had put the memory into the pensieve, he explained, "This prophecy was given on a cold, wet night, fourteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave. Just as I was about to exit the room, she turned to me and gave a real prophecy." He then prodded the silvery substance in the pensieve with his wand. They watched at the figure of Sybil Trelawney rose up and spoke to them.
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 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...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.
The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.
The silence within the office was absolute, until Professor Dumbledore spoke. "A death eater overheard the first part of the prophecy, but was interrupted when others caught him listening at the door. Voldemort's reaction to this news was to try to kill you.
"Harry couldn't have been the only baby born at the end of July," argued Sirius. "Why does it have to be him?"
"Indeed, there was one other child born at the end of July to parents who had escaped Voldemort three times. His name is Neville Longbottom."
Harry gasped, "Neville?"
"Yes," continued Dumbledore. "He was born on July 30th. However, Voldemort chose you and marked you, thus making you the one with the power to vanquish him." He then pointed at Harry's scar. Dumbledore sighed, "I had hoped to wait a few years to give you this burden."
Hermione countered, "But if he's going to have to fight Voldemort, he should have as much time to prepare as possible. He's already had to face Voldemort more than once. That prophecy didn't seem to say who would win! That means that if Harry's not properly trained the next time he faces Voldemort, he could die, and the prophecy would be fulfilled!" By this time Hermione was in tears. "Were you planning on waiting until Harry died to reveal this prophecy?"
"I suppose I should have told him about it earlier," admitted Dumbledore, looking older than ever. "I just couldn't bring myself to lay this burden on him while he's so young. Harry asked me why Voldemort tried to kill him after his first fight with him, but I refused to answer." He shook his head and asked, "Harry, can you accept an old man's apology?"
"I guess I can," admitted Harry. "This is very overwhelming. But Hermione's right, if I'm gonna have to face Tom again, I'll need to start training soon."
"Maybe Sirius and Remus can help you there," suggested Dumbledore. Padfoot nodded and Dumbledore continued. "They can start training you this summer and continue during the school year. When they feel they've trained you as much as they can, perhaps in a few years, I'll start training you."
Hermione added, "If I'm gonna be Harry's girlfriend, I think I should be trained as well in case Harry gets attacked while we're together."
This caused Harry to look at her in a way she immediately recognized. Before he spoke she yelled, "Don't you DARE try to break up with me over this!"
Harry put up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. It was just a thought."
"You should keep your loved ones close, Harry, and not push them away," instructed Dumbledore.
"He's right, pup," agreed Sirius.
"All right, sorry," said Harry. "I doubt I'd have been able to go through with it anyway."
"Well," commented Sirius. "This has certainly been...educational. I think it's time we went back home. See you next term, Albus."
"Goodbye," the headmaster replied.
Hermione walked up to the fireplace, threw some floo powder in it, said, "Diagon Lily," and disappeared in a flash of green flames.
Dumbledore chuckled. "I believe Miss Granger mispronounced her destination."
"Actually, sir," explained Harry, "That's the password for Potter Manor."
"But don't try it without our invitation," instructed Sirius. "No one can floo into the house unless we've set the security system to let them in."
"And we've allowed very few people access to the house," added Harry.
"Ingenious," responded Dumbledore approvingly. "Anybody overhearing would have made the same mistake I did. I guess Potter Manor really is a safe place."
Within a few minutes, they were all back at Harry's home. Hermione hugged Harry and said, "This must be hard for you, knowing you've got to face him."
Harry shrugged. "It was a shock, but truthfully, it's not much of a surprise. I've already faced Tom three times – Once when I was a baby, once when I was eleven, and once when I was twelve. If that prophecy Trelawney gave at the end of last year is true, then Tom's going to come back, so I'll probably have had to face him again. At least this time, I know I at least have a chance. Hopefully, before then I'll have found this 'power that the Dark Lord knows not.' At least now that I know about it, I can try to prepare."
"We'll help you any way we can," promised Sirius, "but for now, we've been invited to have dinner with the Grangers."