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Author: Sssith Story: Prelude to the Hunt Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 7 Words: 27,120
The next morning Harry awoke feeling refreshed, having had a solid night of sleep. He frowned for a second as he realised that something was askew with his perception. Throwing his glasses on, he saw all the changes that Remus had made to his room and flopped back onto his pillow, relieved. Hearing a hoot from Hedwig he turned and looked up to see that she was regarding him with what could only be construed as puzzlement. Standing, he made his way to his long-time companion and affectionately scratched her. He took a moment to feed her, and used a quick charm to fill her bowl with water. Then, after showering and tidying up, he rummaged through his clothes. It took him several long moments of searching before he found something decent enough to wear. I need to get new clothes, he thought, Dudley’s old cast-offs simply won’t do. Finally dressed, Harry descended to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. Ignoring the sniffs that his aunt directed his way, he quickly finished his meal. Just as he was making his way out of the kitchen his uncle and cousin entered. Uncle Vernon stopped in his tracks and glared at him, fists clenching convulsively. Harry smirked at his uncle as he brushed past and went up to his room. He settled himself as comfortably as he could on his new pillows and tried once again to relax and enter a meditative state. His mind quickly flitted over the concerns and thoughts that were part of his daily existence. However, now that he had already catalogued those issues in his journal, he found that he could comfortably set them aside. He focused his mind inward and started to follow the hypnotic rhythm of his pulse and breath. Unaware of time or surroundings, Harry relaxed and let the tension drain from his body. Lost in his own body he heard neither the door creak open nor the heavy tread that rapidly approached him. Instead he became aware of the other presence when he felt an old, familiar, and decidedly unpleasant tug. Reacting instinctively Harry ducked and rolled away from the tugging sensation. Opening his eyes, he came up from his roll with his wand fully extended pointing directly at his uncle’s belly. “What do you think you’re doing?” Harry snarled at his uncle. “Ungrateful cur. You’ve got visitors.” With that his uncle turned and left the room. Harry quickly followed and made his way down to the living room where he found Mr Weasley and Remus sitting together. Mr Weasley had the phone in his lap and was happily pressing buttons, listening to the beeping sounds. Harry smiled fondly at the sight and wondered cheekily how a man so intrigued by the simplest Muggle devices was hard-headed and capable enough to lead the Order during such troubled times. Seeing Harry, Mr Weasley put the phone down. “Absolutely delightful. Ingenious how Muggles manage. How are you, Harry?” he asked as he got up and extended his hand. “Well thank you, Mr Weasley,” Harry responded, shaking his hand,. “You?” “Very busy, as you can imagine. Can we settle here to talk things over?” When Harry nodded Mr Weasley in turn nodded at Remus, who stood, took out his wand and performed the point-me spell. He then took out four cubes, which were pulsing with an odd rhythm, and placed one at each cardinal point. When the last cube was in place all four of them briefly emitted a dull blue light which brought a smile to Mr Weasley’s face. “Excellent. Portable privacy wards, very useful. Now Harry, I would like to officially welcome you to the Order, our youngest member ever, but we would be foolish to think that you didn’t belong. With the Order’s leadership I inherited many documents and items from Dumbledore, one of which was his memory of the prophecy.” Mr Weasley’s face fell and he continued in a lower voice, “I’m sorry that this burden has been placed on you. The inner circle of the Order knew part of the prophecy, but we had never heard the full thing. I, and the whole Order, will do whatever we can to help you. What I am going to ask you to do is to keep me as informed as you can about what you need.” “I’ll do my best with that, but there are some things I won’t be able to discuss with you or the Order,” Harry replied. “Remus and I have found a way that I can discuss what I’ll be doing without revealing secure information that Dumbledore entrusted to me.” “I’ll have to live with that then,” said Mr Weasley. Smiling at Remus he continued, “I’m glad you’re willing to rely on Remus. You two will make a formidable team. “The next thing that we’ve to discuss is Grimmauld Place. Professor Flitwick assures me that the Fidelius Charm will last a couple more months. But during that time we would not be capable of allowing any new people to meet with us at headquarters. So we need to redo the charm. As the owner you can take down the current spell. But in addition to that I would like you to be our new Secret Keeper.” “No, Arthur,” Remus snapped, “that’s too much of a burden, he has enough to worry about.” Holding up his hand, Mr Weasley continued, “I know, Remus, but no other choice makes sense. I do not ask you lightly, Harry. You’ve already faced Voldemort many times and the prophecy indicates that you are the one who will defeat him. The rest of us have no such assurances. I think the Order will be best protected if you are our Secret Keeper.” Harry nodded. “I’ll do it. Just let me know when and what I need to do to perform the charm.” Remus sighed and frowned at Harry. “You’ve too much on your plate. You’re spreading yourself too thin, Harry. You need to learn to say no and delegate some responsibilities to others.” “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Remus, but his logic can’t be faulted. If Voldemort breaks me you are going to have bigger problems than Grimmauld Place being compromised.” Turning back to Mr Weasley, he asked, “This might sound odd, but how long does it take a wizard to build a house?” “A wizard who knows what he’s doing, and has the proper materials and knowledge, can build a house in less than two weeks. Like Muggles we have people who specialise in building. But unlike Muggles they can do it in a fraction of the time. Why do you ask?” “Can you recommend someone you trust to completely fix Grimmauld Place? I want to make it a place worthy of being the Order’s headquarters. It should have a new and complete potions lab, a training room, a fully stocked infirmary, and a meeting room that isn’t covered in layers of grime. I was also thinking that all Order members should have a Portkey that would take them back to headquarters in times of emergency. We could make sure it doesn’t compromise headquarters if the arrival room is specially designed so that you can only exit the room if someone lets you out. And the living sections of the house could all use new furniture, rooms could be made more comfortable.” “That all sounds very nice, Harry,” Mr Weasley said uncertainly, “but even the simplest of those changes costs too much money. Dumbledore left the Order enough money to meet our operational costs. But even that will only last a year or two.” “Well, the Order’s money worries are over,” Harry stated firmly. “I’m putting the Black fortune fully at the Order’s disposal. With that money we should be better able to track Death Eater activities. I would also like to see that everyone going to fight has the best possible equipment.” “Harry, that’s your money. You need to think of your future,” Mr Weasley responded. “That’s just the point, Mr Weasley. I want to survive this war. I won’t be able to lead my own life until it’s over. All the money in the world won’t mean a thing if we don’t win. Anyway, I think the Order will be hard pressed to spend all the money in the Black vault. We are talking over eighty million Galleons.” Mr Weasley sat up in shock. Looking at Remus he asked, “He’s joking, right?” “Not at all, Arthur. And I know Harry’s very determined about this. So much so that he has given me full access to the vault to better facilitate the Order’s ability to access the money. I can’t fault Harry’s logic, and even if we somehow manage to spend all the money, he still has the Potter account which will allow him to live very comfortably.” “If you’re sure, Harry,” Mr Weasley said uncertainly. “Positive. Try to spend it all, I really don’t want you to be conservative,” Harry answered. Smiling wolfishly he added, “Find your inner Malfoy, and bribe someone. Voldemort won’t stand a chance against us if we can offer bigger incentives!” “Well, I don’t know about that last one, Molly might object,” Mr Weasley laughed weakly. He paused and contemplated Harry. “I really wish I could refuse but I will honour your intentions. It goes against my grain not to be frugal, but so be it.” Looking up at Remus he continued, “This will change how we go about things. We’ll be able to do so much more and we might even be able to implement some of Shacklebolt’s ideas. As for your question, Harry, yes I do know some people that we might be able to approach about reworking Grimmauld Place. I’ll have one of our Aurors do a security check and let you know. “Before I head off to work, there is one more issue I want to talk to you about. We, the Order and the Ministry, believe that the Malfoys are still supplying Voldemort with funds. With that in mind we’re trying to bring extra pressure on them. The Ministry is in the process of gathering evidence against Draco Malfoy of his actions in allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts. We’ve already collected the memories of Bill, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville and the teachers. We don’t really need you to add to the testimony but I wanted to give you the opportunity to add yours to the list.” Harry rocked back in his seat as he thought over the events of that evening. He could easily remember the tears streaming down Malfoy’s face as he held the wand on Dumbledore. Harry knew that Malfoy had been unable to murder Dumbledore, that he had lacked the cold-bloodedness necessary to complete his assigned task. Had Malfoy been a victim in this situation? Harry decided that the fact that he was unable kill Dumbledore did not excuse him for allowing Death Eaters into Hogwarts. The battle at Hogwarts could be laid at the feet of the junior Death Eater. “No. I don’t think I have anything to really add, I didn’t actually witness Malfoy leading the Death Eaters.” “That’s fine, Harry; I think the Aurors have already gathered enough information to go to the Wizengamot. In fact, Tonks has indicated that the Aurors are already drawing up plans to try to capture the Malfoys at their manor. There is a chance the Order will be asked to help support such an endeavour. I’ll let you know, of course, if that’s the case. I’ve also asked Remus to teach you, Ron, and Hermione how to pass messages using your Patronus.” “That sounds good, Mr Weasley.” “All right, then. I’ll get going, day job and all. Is there anything else that we need to talk about, Harry?” Harry shook his head and stood up. Remus moved about the room and collected the privacy wards, depositing them back into their velvet sack. Remus passed the sack to Mr Weasley and they all walked to the front door. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to pass the word to the rest of the inner circle that you’re capable of receiving visitors. I know that a couple of them wanted to talk to you about various things.” With that Mr Weasley Disapparated. Remus turned back to Harry and threw his arm around his shoulder. “How did the meditation go?” “Better, much better. I actually spent most of last night writing in the journal that you gave me. This morning, however, I was much more successful than I’ve ever been before. So much so that my uncle was almost able to sneak up on me.” Remus looked surprised at that. “What happened?” Harry went over the events and ended by describing the pulling sensation that alerted him to his uncle’s presence. “The pulling feeling was very similar to what I felt yesterday when I was chasing you with Apparition.” They went back to the living room and Remus settled into one of the chairs. “Well I’ve never read anything about what you described but it seems like a very useful trick to know. The account of the Auror that first learned how to do an Apparition chase never mentioned using the skill for anything else. That’s not to say that there aren’t other ways that such a skill might be used,” Remus shrugged. “I suggest you try to develop that skill and seek to understand what things and situations bring out this ability. I should also teach you how to ward your room so you’re not caught out like that again. A simple proximity alarm should be sufficient. Do you want to go over any of the things that you wrote in your journal?” Harry nodded, “But do you mind if we invoke that confessor charm again?” Remus answered by reaching out to grasp Harry’s hand. Harry completed the charm and then asked Remus to secure the room a little better. As Remus worked on putting up some privacy spells, Harry asked him, “Do you think you can get me some of those privacy cubes? They’d be really useful.” “That shouldn’t be too difficult, especially now that I have access to the Black vault. I imagine there’s not much that I couldn’t get if I tried hard enough. Those cubes are handy and take much less time to set up than all the spells I just had to do.” When Remus sat down Harry launched into all the details about the Horcruxes and everything that he knew about Tom Riddle. To his credit Remus did not interrupt the long story. Harry wrapped up his tale by explaining that Dumbledore had asked him to keep all of it secret. “That’s quite a story you have there. I’m not surprised he asked you to keep it secret, but I don’t think he would have wanted you to tackle this problem on your own.” “Well, now I have you. And I must say that it feels good to have shared it with you. It’ll be nice to have your perspective. Do you think Voldemort could’ve made more than seven?” Remus steepled his hands in front of him as he considered the question. “Anything I have to add to the subject will be pure conjecture, of course. I agree with Dumbledore that seven is the likely number of Horcruxes he created. I’ve to imagine that there is also a limit to how many times a soul can be torn.” Remus stopped at this point and cast about the room, picking up a piece of parchment. “Do you mind if I destroy this?” When Harry indicated no, he continued, “Now I am only guessing, but I’m willing to bet that when you tear your soul you don’t control the size of the pieces that they get torn into. With that in mind let’s tear this parchment seven times, each time in half. So the first Horcrux, the diary I’m guessing, had half his original soul. But each subsequent tear decreases the size of the soul by half. By the time we have reached the seventh piece you can see what Voldemort is left with,” Remus concluded by holding up a small square of parchment. “If this is anything close to accurate then I doubt that he’s capable of creating another one.” “What about destroying them? I must’ve been terribly lucky with the diary. The ring almost killed Dumbledore,” Harry stated. “Well, that is something that I can start researching. How are you going to track them down?” “I told you the basics about what I learned about Voldemort. I’m going to try and follow his trail as best I can. I also want to go to Godric’s Hollow and see what’s there. I was going to have Hermione organise a research group. I thought between her, Luna and Ginny they would come up with more things that I could check. There’s not much we’ll be able to do against Voldemort until I destroy all those Horcruxes.” They both lapsed into silence, thinking of the difficult task ahead. Harry flopped down on the pillow and thought about the events of the previous couple of days. His old anger at Snape returned as he thought about the teacher’s hook. He couldn’t get over the invasion of privacy; it left him feeling violated. He shot up as a thought occurred to him. “Remus … the Horcruxes … Snape must know about them and that I’m trying to destroy them.” Remus’s eyes widened in alarm. “You’re right, Harry, he would’ve been able to sift through your thoughts. He would’ve known about your meetings with Dumbledore.” “But it just doesn’t make sense. Why isn’t Voldemort hunting me down? If Snape told him about what Dumbledore and I are doing, you’d think Voldemort would be hunting me down with everything he has. It would force him to step up what he’s already doing. Especially if he can’t create new ones.” Remus considered Harry’s words and took a moment before answering. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that you are being hunted. Though, I agree it doesn’t seem like he’s pulling out all the stops to get you. It could be that he taking his time to move the Horcruxes to safer locations.” “I wonder if he even knows were they all are,” Harry mused. “It’s pretty obvious from the locket that Dumbledore and I found that he hadn’t checked on it since he’d placed it there. It’s going to be difficult enough to track them down without him actively protecting them and moving them around. I was hoping that he hadn’t trusted anyone else with the secret to his quest for immortality.” “That seems like a reasonable assumption, from what we know about Voldemort. So we’re agreed that he wouldn’t trust any of his Death Eaters with moving, or handling his Horcruxes. Given that, I think you’re right that he would have stepped up his attacks if he knew you were after them. At the very least he would’ve started attacking those close to you, primarily Ron and Hermione. It’s well known that the three of you share secrets.” Harry slumped back into his chair as these words hit home. Noticing Harry’s distress he gently prodded the young man in front of him. “Harry, you can’t assume that your friends are in trouble because of you. Everyone has a choice in what they do with their life. Tom Riddle’s choice was that of violence and hatred. That hatred in turn is countered by those who are willing to sacrifice themselves in the name of what is good. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna showed that they were all willing to make that sacrifice when they chose to follow you to the Department of Mysteries. Ron and Hermione don’t just follow you because they love you. They also follow you because you are fighting an evil that they wish to oppose. You can’t, or shouldn’t, take that choice away from them. Everyone has the right to determine for themselves what they want their lives to stand for.” “I just want them to be safe,” Harry whispered. Remus laughed outright at this pronouncement. “Well, now you know how we’ve felt about you these last couple years. Just remember – you can’t keep everyone safe and you need to respect everyone’s choices.” Harry sat forward once more in his chair as he mulled over Remus’s words. “I hate the thought of them being targeted because they’re my friends. What you say makes sense; it’s just hard to accept. And Ginny,” he paused as he grimaced, “I’m not even sure I want to know what she thinks of what I did.” “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. Now, let’s get back to the matter at hand; Snape. Given that there’s no evidence Voldemort has intensified his hunt for you, I think we need to consider the possibility that Snape has not told Voldemort about what you and Dumbledore have been doing. I have problems trying to understand how he could’ve killed Dumbledore, and yet not have told Voldemort about the Horcruxes, but that is what we are left with, which means we must be missing a big part of the picture.” “I never did understand why Dumbledore thought he could trust Snape,” Harry muttered. “Neither did I. For me it came down to whether I trusted Dumbledore. I’m at a loss as to what to think now. Let’s put it aside for now. Can you please turn off the confessor charm and we can move on to other issues.” Harry pulled out his wand and quickly performed the Finite Incantatum. “How about we take a break from all these weighty issues,” Remus suggested, “and go shopping.” At Harry’s look of surprise he laughed. “Someone told me I could do with some new clothes,” he teased, “and you’re certainly in need of a new wardrobe. Why don’t we head off now and we can continue with some meditation and general training tonight. If you don’t mind, I’ll have Tonks meet us for tea in London.” When Harry quickly agreed Remus sent a Patronus message to Tonks. “You’re going to have to teach me how to do that. Send messages, that is,” Harry commented when he saw Remus’s questioning look. “Oh, that should be a simple matter. I thought we could start doing spell work in the morning. Why don’t you take a moment to write to Ron and Hermione and see if they can come over in the morning? I might as well go over the information with all three of you.” Harry dashed off two quick notes and sent them off with Hedwig. Remus had Harry follow his Apparition trail into the heart of London. They then spent the afternoon moving from one shop to the next. By the end of the day Harry had discarded the clothes he had been wearing and was comfortably attired in Muggle clothes that actually fit him. Remus had used the occasion to teach Harry how to shrink, as well as lighten, his bags of new clothes. Given the fact that he had bought everything from trainers to suits, Harry had ample opportunity to practise these new spells. To outward appearances the two men were each carrying one small bag. The fact that each bag contained many other smaller bags was lost on all the Muggles that they were shopping with. “You know, it’s kinda nice having new clothes, clothes that I can call my own. The thought that I won’t ever have to wear Dudley’s old junk is so liberating.” “I’m glad you like the new clothes Harry. I just wish we had taken the time to do this sooner.” Remus looked up and down the street and proceeded to lead Harry to the opposite side, narrowly avoiding the heavy traffic. “We’re only a couple of blocks away from where I asked Tonks to meet us. We should hurry though; we’re running a little late.” With that Remus set a brisk pace that Harry was hard pressed to match without breaking into a jog. In short order they arrived in front of a restaurant with a lighthouse picture below the name of ‘El Faro’. Harry was peering into the restaurant when out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of a lithe form brush up against Remus. “Well hi there,” said a teasing female voice. “I’m supposed to be meeting my boyfriend here but I’m willing to forget about him in order to spend the evening with two dashing men like you.” The woman, who was brazenly putting her arms around Remus, turned and gave a Harry a saucy wink. “I’m sure you’re boyfriend would not appreciate you cosying up to two strange men,” Remus responded with a smile. “Would you mind changing into someone we all recognise and love. I think you just shocked some white into Harry’s hair. The poor boy’s not used to strange women hitting on him.” “Remus?” Tonks exclaimed in shock. “It can’t be you! My boyfriend wears the dourest clothes imaginable. He’s the academic type that hasn’t shopped for new clothes in decades.” “Enough, I’m not sure if I should be pleased or insulted by your comments. Harry and I took advantage of a free afternoon and bought some much needed clothing. I’m glad you appreciate the results. Now let’s eat.” With that, the three of them entered the restaurant where Remus introduced them both to the joys of Spanish cuisine. Towards the end of the meal it suddenly dawned on Harry that this was the life for which he was fighting. Now that he had enjoyed the simple pleasure of dinner with friends he knew that that he wanted to repeat the experience when there were no worries of war and fighting. As the three of them left the restaurant Tonks sighed and stretched. “That was a fabulous meal. We’ll have to do that again sometime. It’s amazing to think that more wizards don’t venture out into Muggle London when there are such treats to be had. And you two,” she exclaimed, “look fabulous in your new clothes. I can’t wait to tell Ginny what a dish you are in ordinary clothes, Harry. A little on the thin side maybe, but definitely delicious.” At Harry’s embarrassed stammering she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. As she pulled away she whispered, “Thanks for making him get some new clothes, Saint. I owe you one.” She continued in a louder voice, “Well, I’ll see you two tomorrow at the Order meeting.” She gave Remus a more passionate kiss before she Disapparated away. Remus stood idly on the curb gazing down the street. “You OK, Remus? She didn’t break you did she?” Harry asked. “What?” Remus turned, once again becoming aware of his surroundings. Seeing Harry’s impudent grin he reached out and tussled Harry’s already dishevelled hair. “Shut it,” Remus replied affectionately. “Considering the state of your affairs, you are in no position to mock me.” “Don’t remind me,” Harry groaned. Throwing an arm around Harry’s shoulder, Remus replied, “Come now, let’s get back and see what we can do with your meditation.” With that, the two stepped into a side alley and Apparated to the back yard of the Dursleys’ house. His uncle’s boisterous voice could be heard clearly from the back yard. “I can’t allow this to continue, Petunia. Every time I go into the living room there’s a different freak sitting there.” Harry cast an amused glance at Remus, “Looks like we have a visitor. I better go deal with Uncle Vernon before he collapses in a heap.” Harry smoothed out his new clothes, pushed the back door open, and strode purposely into the kitchen. At his appearance his relatives fell silent and regarded him with open surprise. “You disgusting little thief,” his uncle snarled as he looked Harry over. Pointing at Harry’s new clothes with one of his pudgy fingers he continued his tirade, “Where did you get those clothes? Used your unnaturalness to steal from us honest folk, did you?” With each pronouncement Uncle Vernon’s face took on a deeper shade of red. “Well, it ends—” Realising his uncle was only building up steam, Harry quickly cut him off by stepping into his face and pushing his uncle back into his seat. Placing one hand on each of the armrests, Harry leaned in until his face was a scant couple of inches away from his shocked uncle. “Like my clothes, do you? Well, we thought it was about time I had something decent of my own. So Remus took me shopping, and I now have a complete, new wardrobe. Where did I get the money?” Harry whispered with quiet menace. “Well, my wastrel, no good, layabout father left me enough money to buy you out a thousand times over and not even notice the loss. When I leave here I want you to remember, and understand, that if you had cared for me in even the smallest of ways you might have been able to enjoy some of my good fortune.” With that Harry straightened up and walked away, “Now, if you’ll excuse me … I believe you implied that I have guests waiting for me.” The sight that greeted him as he entered the living room caught him by surprise. Professor McGonagall was sitting in his uncle’s favourite chair, sipping tea. She had an open book lying on the stand next to her chair, a testament to her long wait. “Professor!” “Mr Potter, I hope things went well with your family,” she spoke in her usual clipped tones. It was only the years of experience dealing with his Head of House that allowed him to notice her distaste when she spoke of his family. “Fine, thank you, Professor,” Harry answered automatically. “Things are much better now that I can perform magic. I don’t think I can cure my uncle of being a git, but at least I can now prevent him from acting on his instincts.” Professor McGonagall pursed her lips even tighter at this pronouncement. “I’m sorry that you grew up here. While I understand Albus’ reasons, I never agreed with them. I daresay that the only thing he was afraid about when it came to his death was having to face your mother.” Harry smiled at his professor, surprised by her light banter. “Professor this is a pleasant surprise … Is there something I can help you with?” As he spoke, he and Remus settled themselves into the remaining chairs. “I spoke with Arthur earlier. He asked me to pass along the message that Moody would be coming around in the morning. He’s going to bring Bill Ferny to meet you, Harry. Ferny is someone who can work on headquarters for us.” “That sounds great, Professor, but … is that all you came here for?” “Indeed not. I have several things to discuss with you. The first being that the school will reopen in September. The board of governors met this morning and decided that it was more important than ever that the school remain open.” “Minerva, that’s great news,” Remus enthused. “We never closed due to the war during my school days and I think it would’ve been a mistake to do that now.” Looking back at Harry she asked, “Will you be attending, Harry?” Harry looked at the floor and sighed, “No, Professor, I won’t be returning.” “I can’t say that I’m surprised. Know that you will always have my support and that Hogwarts doors are open to you. Will Miss Granger and Mr Weasley be accompanying you?” “Yes, they’ll be coming with me. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you.” Professor McGonagall nodded at his simple thanks. “I should be vexed at you for taking away Gryffindor’s best. We’ll be hard pressed to win the cup this year without you and Ron on the pitch. Not to mention the loss of Hermione’s academic points. But then, I need to remind myself that I am no longer the Head of Gryffindor.” She smiled as she said this. “I do want you to remember one thing as you go about this task of yours. Do not forget that all of us are resources for you to use. From Hagrid to Madam Pomfrey, all of us will do whatever is necessary to help you.” At these words Harry felt an upsurge of conflicting emotions; a heart-warming realisation of the goodwill and support that she spoke of, and a profound sense of loss in realising that his time at Hogwarts was indeed at an end. Not trusting himself to speak, Harry nodded. “I also have some items that I would like to give you.” With this Professor McGonagall rose from her chair and pulled a non-descript bag from behind it. Settling herself again she glanced at Remus and asked, “If you don’t mind, Remus, would you please get them out of bag?” Remus looked at the bag in puzzlement, “Is this what I think it is?” When he saw the headmistress nod, he smiled at Harry. With a dramatic flair he pushed up his sleeves and intoned in a theatrical voice, “Notice, if you please, that I have nothing up my sleeves. Now notice the size of this bag. I will endeavour to surprise and delight you by pulling out something that could not possibly fit inside.” “Honestly, Remus, just get the items out of the bag,” Professor McGonagall said in a huff. Turning to Harry she went on, “Albus always thought young Mr Lupin to be the least troublesome of the Marauders. Made him a prefect he was so convinced of Remus’s upstanding character. Little did Albus realise that young Mr Lupin was the one who would always add the finishing touches to all of the Marauders’ pranks. He was the one that added the element of elegance to their games. Sirius could be counted on for outrageous ideas, and your father was the source of brashness. Together they were just terrible.” “You wound me,” Remus said in mock hurt voice. “But how did you know?” “I had my ways of keeping track of you, though the Marauders surprised me more times than not.” Pointing at the bag she exhorted Remus back to his task, “The bag, Remus!” “Oh right, sorry.” Remus smiled sheepishly at Harry and then opened the bag and reached in. Harry’s eyebrows went up in surprise as he watched Remus sink his arms up to his elbows in the bag. “Cool bag, Professor.” With a grunt, Remus pulled a large box out of the bag. With a flick of her wrist, Professor McGonagall conjured a table on which Remus set the box. “There is one more item, Remus, if you please,” Professor McGonagall said. This time Remus dived into the bag without the theatrics and quickly pulled out a second item. Harry immediately recognised the item as Professor Dumbledore’s Pensieve. “There is also a book.” Once all the items were laid out on the table, McGonagall continued, “As you know, Harry, this is Dumbledore’s Pensieve. We’ve been going through his estate and following his instructions, and he wanted you to have his Pensieve. The book will guide you on how best to use it. As for the box, I’m not sure what is in it, though I can hazard a guess. If it’s what I think it is, you will find it to be much more valuable than the Pensieve itself. The box, on its own, is extremely valuable as it is layered with many protective spells that make its destruction nearly impossible. The box has been keyed to you. Undoubtedly, Professor Dumbledore obtained some of your blood during one of your many stays with Madam Pomfrey. You simply need to place your thumb on the latch and the box will open.” Harry contemplated the box and a vision of Dumbledore falling from the tower flashed before his eyes. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Closing them, he took a deep breath and concentrated on his meditation techniques. When he felt a little more in command of his emotions he opened his eyes and looked apologetically at Remus and Professor McGonagall. Then he reached out and carefully placed his thumb on the box’s latch. With an audible click the box opened. Harry noticed that it opened more like a book than a traditional box. As he pulled the box all the way open, a letter and small pamphlet fell out. The cover of the pamphlet read: Index of Memories. Realisation dawned on Harry and he took a closer look at the contents of the box. He saw that the contents, or sheets, where all arranged on a spindle, and that the spindle had a small handle that allowed it to be turned. As he turned the spindle a new sheet appeared on the left side, while one disappeared on the right side. Looking more carefully, he could see small slits cut into the sheet. To his eye it seemed as if the slits where arranged like small drawers, as they were evenly spaced and had small labels beneath each slit. Harry randomly reached into one of the slits and felt a small cylindrical object. He carefully pulled it out. When it came into view he heard dual gasps and he realised that he was holding a memory that could only belong to Professor Dumbledore. Looking more closely at the small jar, he was able to read the label: Conjuring – Inanimate Objects. Carefully placing the container back into its place he started turning the spindle. Sheet after sheet appeared, each containing more memories. “There has to be hundreds of his memories here,” he muttered in an awed whisper. “That is a precious gift, Harry,” Remus said reverently. Professor McGonagall on the other hand had a small smile, and she nodded at Harry. “I’m sure you will find those memories invaluable. Why don’t you take a look at the letter?” Harry picked up the letter and turned it over. His name was written in a spidery scrawl that Harry recognised as the Dumbledore’s. Opening the envelope he pulled out the letter. Dear Harry, Yours in perpetuity, “Thank you for bringing this to me, Professor McGonagall. I’m a little overwhelmed by it, actually.” “Guard it well. The value of that gift is beyond measure. Yet there is no one more deserving of it than you.” As she spoke, Professor McGonagall reached behind her neck and unfastened her necklace. Pulling it out from under her robes she held it up for Harry and Remus to see. “This was given to me by my grandfather when I was a little younger than you, Harry. It is a necklace of my clan. The necklace was something that was commonly given to hotheads who had a tendency to let their emotions get the better of them.” She smiled reminiscently at the necklace. “Well, to make a long story short, I used to be one such hothead. My grandfather gave me this necklace in the hopes of teaching me how to curb my impetuousness. The pendant has a charm that, when clasped, helps one think more clearly. It will help you set aside your emotions during times of difficulty. I want you to have it, Harry.” With that she stood and crossed the room and placed the necklace around his neck. “Professor, no, I can’t accept this. It should stay with your family, your clan.” “Nonsense, my son and daughter are long grown and moved on with their lives. It will give me much comfort to know that you’re wearing it. Go ahead, clasp it.” At her request Harry held the pendant in his hand. Immediately a sense of calm stole over him. Closing his eyes he had a sense that he was sitting in a quiet glade that had a stream running through it. Only the sure knowledge that he was still in his uncle’s house prevented the illusion from being complete. A small smile played along his face. “This is wonderful.” Opening his eyes he looked up at Professor McGonagall. “Thank you.” “You are quite welcome, Harry. It’s getting late, so I will leave you now. I’ll see you soon at the next Order meeting. Take care.” With that she quickly gathered her things and took her leave. “Why don’t we clean up and settle in for the night. We have much to do tomorrow,” Remus said. Before climbing into bed, Harry sat himself comfortably and went through the meditative process. As the sense of peacefulness permeated him, an odd blue glow appeared in his mind’s eye. Snapping his eyes open, the glow vanished. When he closed his eyes again he could not see the glow. Shaking his head, he settled once more into a meditative state. After a few moments the glow reappeared, but this time he was able to distinguish more than one glow. When he opened his eyes again the glow had again disappeared. At this point he decided that he had had enough, and climbed into bed.
AN: My thanks go out to Ladybug who took the time to whip this chapter into shape. Her work is very much appreciated. As are you, the reader. Thanks for clicking over and taking the time to read, and hopefully enjoy, my story.
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