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Harry Potter and the Prophesized Six | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, James Potter, Lily Potter, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance Warnings: Extreme Language, Sexual Situations Rating: R Reviews: 668 Summary: This is the sequel to my previous story, Harry Potter and the Twists of Fate, starting off a few hours after the last chapter. Harry and his friends are now aware of the part they will play in the coming war. Can their friendship and love hold them together or will they allow jealousy and uncertainty to pull them apart, allowing Voldemort to win? Hitcount: Story Total: 328113; Chapter Total: 7336 Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay but it was unavoidable. |
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Chapter 9: More summer surprises The New Marauders resumed their training the day after Ginny’s birthday. Ron didn’t look pleased when he saw the promise ring on Ginny’s finger but accepted Harry’s explanation when Harry explained it to him. A week later, they were having breakfast with the rest of the Potter family and discussing their progress in their training. All of the teens had improved in their dueling skills. Proof of that was the fact that Maggie was able to beat Rose and Ti did likewise to Neville a couple of times the previous day. Ron and Hermione, on the other hand, were still unable to beat Harry and Ginny but at least they lasted longer in their duels before the bonded pair overcame them in individual duels. Fred and George were just about tied in their duels against each other, so James decided to duel them himself to get a better feeling of their skills. On the animagus front, the teens were all doing better. To the surprise of the adults especially Professor McGonagall, all ten of them were able to turn at least one hand into the proper appendage of their animagus forms for at least ten seconds. Of course, Harry and Ginny were now able to turn both hands into tiger paws for five minutes. Professor McGonagall commented that it must be linked to the Soul Bond they shared. A large barn owl interrupted the morning meal by tapping on the kitchen window. James stood up and opened the window to retrieve the bundle of letters carried by the owl. “Ah, your Hogwarts letters have arrived,” the elder Potter observed. “Even your letter is here, Hermione.” She and Daniel had arrived early that day for breakfast since their parents had left the house early in the morning for an emergency at their surgery. James passed the letters out to their rightful recipients. The air in the kitchen was promptly filled with the sound of envelopes being ripped open and letters being unfolded. As Hermione opened her letter, a metallic object fell out onto the table. She picked it up, looking at it in shock. “Well, Hermione,” Ron exclaimed, a grin on his face, “Looks like they’ve made you a prefect. No surprise there. I bet I know who the other one is.” He looked pointedly at Harry who hadn’t opened his letter yet, preferring to finish his breakfast. Of course, Ron was doing the same. “Come on, Ron,” Harry said, after swallowing some bacon. “There’s no way that Professor McGonagall is going to make me a prefect. I mean, I’m sure she knows I’ve been involved in all the pranks the past few years.” “I don’t know, Harry,” Rose said, with a grin on her face. “That letter with your name on it seems a bit thicker than usual.” Harry glanced at the letter on the table with Harry Potter printed on it. He picked it up and noted with trepidation that it did seem heavier than the previous letters he’d gotten. Finally, he opened it. As he unfolded it, a badge similar to Hermione’s fell out onto his lap. Ginny squealed and grabbed his arm to pull him over for a quick kiss. Harry was too shocked to return the kiss. “Come on, Harry,” Ginny said in his mind, sounding amused, “It’s not the end of the world.” Harry picked up the red and gold badge and traced his finger over the golden P. He almost jumped when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find the beaming face of his father. “Congratulations, son,” James said, “I’m glad you made prefect.” Harry looked at him in surprise, “You’re not disappointed, Dad?” James looked at him in confusion, “Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed that you’re a prefect?” “Well, you weren’t a prefect. I feel like I’m letting down a family tradition.” “Come on, Harry,” James said, “I wasn’t mature enough when I was your age to be a prefect, unlike your mum who was one. Anyway, we were both Head Boy and Head Girl. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t a prefect to begin with. By then, I had managed to ditch the bad boy complex I had and matured enough for the responsibility. It’s great that Minerva trusts you enough to be responsible with the kind of authority a prefect has. I know I wouldn’t have been like that back then.” “Your father’s right, Harry,” Lily said, covering his hand with hers, “We’re proud of you whether you’re a prefect or not. You’ve proven to be more mature than your father was at your age. I know you won’t abuse the authority being prefect gives you.” Everyone else then stood up to congratulate the two new Gryffindor prefects. Even Ron shook Harry’s hand. “Are you okay with this, Ron?” Harry had to ask his best mate. “Hey, better you than me,” Ron said. “After all, you’re the leader type. I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with the midgets.” “Midgets?” Harry asked. “You know, the first years,” Ron said, “I think the fifth year prefects have the privilege of showing the first years around on their first night at Hogwarts. Remember Percy on our first night there?” “Oh, yeah,” Harry said, “How is it you remember that, Ron? I expected something like that to be mentioned by Hermione, not you.” Ron shrugged, “I don’t know. I just remembered that when I saw the badge. I also remember Fred and George doing something to Percy’s right after he got his. I think you should make sure they don’t get their hands on it.” Harry’s eyes widened in horror, “They wouldn’t, would they?” Ron laughed, “Nah, I was just ribbing you, Harry. They like you while they obviously don’t like Percy.” Just then, two hands dropped on Harry’s shoulders from opposite sides. Harry turned around to find the just-mentioned boys looking at him with sad faces. “Harry, my boy,” Fred (?) said. “You know, we…” George (?) said. “….are a bit disappointed….” Fred continued. “….in you,” George concluded. “Hey, guys,” Harry said, looking warily at them, “It’s not my fault if McGonagall chose me. It’s not like I can refuse it, is it?” Fred and George looked at each other for a few seconds. “Hmm, now that….” Fred said. “…..is a thought,” George said. “I wonder if you can…..” Fred said. “…write her and refuse it,” George said. “Oh no, you won’t do that,” Ginny said from behind them. The three boys turned around to face her. “Now see here, Gred and Forge,” she said sternly, “Harry is most certainly not going to write Professor McGonagall back refusing to be a prefect. That would be rude and most certainly a bad move. Besides,” her voice lowered and assumed a conspiratory tone, “think of how harder it will be to blame him for pranks if he’s a prefect. After all, I think Remus was a prefect and the Marauders still did pranks in their last three years at Hogwarts.” Fred and George looked at their sister with respect, “Wow, Ginny,” Fred said, “We seemed to have rubbed off on you.” “Yeah, more than we thought,” George said. “That’s right. Remus was a prefect and they still managed to do pranks.” The twins turned to Harry and shook hands with him, loudly congratulating him which drew a suspicious glance from Hermione. “Thanks, guys,” Harry said, grinning from ear to ear, “Of course, now that the letters have arrived, I’m wondering who Professor McGonagall picked to be Quidditch captain. We didn’t have Quidditch last year because of that nuisance of a tournament. But I’m sure the Cup will be up this year. None of you happened to get the badge, did you?” The Weasley twins looked Harry in surprise. “Us?” they asked Harry. “No way, Harry,” Fred said. “I doubt McGonagall would….” George said. “….trust us with that,” Fred said. “We’re no way like Oliver,” George said. “Then it’ll be Angelina or Alicia,” Harry said. Fred and George shrugged their shoulders in reply. “It doesn’t matter, Harry,” George said. “As long as we don’t have a maniac for a captain,” Fred said. Harry turned to Ron, “Hey, Ron, you trying out for keeper this year?” Ron looked a bit nervous as he replied, “You think I should?” “Of course,” Harry said, “You’re a pretty good one in our pick up games here. Plus, it’s also the only position available this year.” Ron shrugged, “Yeah, sure, I guess.” Harry sighed inwardly. He’ll need to encourage his best mate to try out when the time came. For now, they still needed to focus on their training before going back to Hogwarts. There was another surprise waiting for the teens later in the day, or rather three surprises. As Hermione was getting ready to go home with her brother, Daniel fidgeted and pulled on the hand her sister was holding, looking at the pile of blocks he had been playing with, along with Daisy and Andy who were looking on with confused expressions from their places on the floor. Ron was standing beside Hermione and Daniel, having just kissed Hermione goodbye. Harry and Ginny were seated beside each other on the floor between the Potter twins and Hermione and Daniel, watching Hermione trying to hold onto her brother. The other kids were upstairs in their rooms getting ready for dinner while Lily and James were in the kitchen preparing dinner. “Daniel, stop it,” Hermione said, pulling him to her and restraining him with an arm around his waist. “We have to go home now. You’ll be coming back tomorrow.” “No!” Daniel screamed, “Blocks! Now!” He reached out with his free hand. Suddenly, one block flew across the room straight into that hand. Hermione’s jaw dropped halfway to the floor and she barely managed to hang onto Daniel in her shock at what had happened. “Blimey!” Ron exclaimed, his eyes almost bulging from his head, “Hermione, I think your brother just did accidental magic.” “He’s not the only one,” Hermione said, pointing behind Harry and Ginny. Harry and Ginny turned around to see a bunch of blocks floating around his siblings’ heads as they laughed and clapped their hands. “Whoa!” Harry said, “Mum! Dad! Get out here, now!” “What is it, Harry?” James asked just as he ran out the door, his wand in his hand with Lily right behind him. He then saw what was happening around his twin children. “Bloody Hell!” he exclaimed, dropping the wand. His exclamation surprised Daisy and Andrew and the blocks that were in the air dropped back to the floor. “Oh, how wonderful,” Lily cried, breaking into a smile, “It’s their first show of magic.” “They’re not the only ones, Mum,” Harry said, “We just saw Daniel summon several blocks to his hand.” “That’s wonderful,” Lily said. “Hermione, that means the three of them will be attending Hogwarts together, just like you, Ron and Harry.” Hermione sat down on the couch by the fire, pulling Daniel onto her lap. She was still a little shocked. She had never imagined that her brother could be magical too. Of course, considering the Creevey brothers, the possibility should have occurred to her. “Merlin!” she said, “How am I going to tell my parents? They were discussing a few days ago about having Daniel continue their dental practice since I wouldn’t be able to. Now what will they do?” Lily sat beside her and patted her hand, “It’ll be all right, dear. After all, they accepted you for your magical talent. I don’t think they’ll mind this one bit. I’m sure they’ll get over the shock and will be as proud of Daniel as they are of you. If you like, I’ll Floo over with you to explain it to them. I’ve had experience in that since I had to explain a lot of things about magic to my parents.” Hermione considered Lily’s offer and nodded, “I guess I could use the help. I know it wasn’t easy for them before we were told that I was magical. There were a lot of strange occurrences around me when I was younger.” “I’ll go with you, too, Hermione,” Ron said, “I can tell them what to look out for if Daniel proves to be more rowdy than you were.” “Thanks, Ron,” Hermione said, “I appreciate that.” “James,” Lily said to her husband, “I don’t know how long it’s going to take, so you and the kids go on and have dinner.” “All right, Lils,” James said, “I’ll make sure there’s enough left for you and Ron. Of course, since Ron is going with you, I better save half the food.” Ron’s ears turned red but he didn’t say anything. Hermione and Daniel went first through the Floo, followed by Lily and Ron. Once Lily, Ron, Hermione and Daniel were gone, James joined Harry and Ginny on the floor with Daisy and Andrew. “Oh boy, you guys are going to be a handful now. I remember when you started doing accidental magic, Harry. You’d do the craziest things like Apparate to a window sill because you wanted to look outside or summon a toy you wanted in a crowded toy store. I could barely keep up.” “That I can believe,” Ginny said in his mind as she gazed at him fondly, “You always tend to get into the craziest situations.” Harry laughed, “Yeah, I know. And you love me for that too.” “Yeah, yeah, right,” Ginny said, grinning at him. “Now Rose was a bit more sedate in what she did accidentally,” James said, “Still, she did summon a whole bottle of milk once from the kitchen to the living room, spilling half the bottle on the way.” “Hey!” Rose said as she came down the stairs, “Did I just hear my name?” “Yeah,” Harry said, “Dad was reminiscing about some of the times you and I did accidental magic when we were younger.” “What brought that on?” Rose asked as she sat on the same couch Hermione and her mother had been sitting on. “Oh, nothing much,” Ginny said, “Just the twins doing their first bit of magic by having some Muggle blocks circle around their heads.” “They did? Great!” Rose said. “Now we know that they aren’t squibs.” “Well, they weren’t the only toddlers who were showing off,” Harry said, “It seems Hermione’s brother is also magical. He was actually the first one to do magic. He summoned one block to his hand.” “Wow! That is so great,” Rose said, “That means another trio of friends will be going to Hogwarts at the same time, like you, Ron and Hermione.” “You know,” Ginny said, “That’s true. Your mum said just about the same thing. I just hope they don’t get into as much trouble as the original three.” “Hey, we don’t look for trouble,” Harry said, sounding indignant, “It just seems to find us.” “Oh, right, love,” Ginny said, kissing his cheek. “You just go on believing that. Come on, Rose, I need to freshen up before dinner.” The two red haired girls got up and went up the stairs, leaving a pouting Harry and an amused James. When the other teens heard about the three toddlers’ display of accidental magic during dinner, they congratulated Harry and Rose and promised to do the same thing with Hermione when they saw her the next day. Lily and Ron returned before they finished eating with satisfied expressions. While they ate, James and Harry listened to Lily relate the bemused way the Grangers accepted that their son had the same talent as their daughter. They were disappointed that none of their children would carry on their practice but were glad that the siblings would be able to relate to each other and share their lives together. Hermione’s parents had confessed that they had been worried how Daniel would face being nonmagical when he saw the great things his sister and her friends could do with magic. They were pleased not to have that worry again. Lily and Ron were glad for the positive way the Grangers reacted to their news. Because of the need to get the kids’ school supplies, James agreed on a single trip to Diagon Alley two days after the Hogwarts letters arrived. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Neville, Maggie and Ti went to their respective homes after breakfast that day so they could go to Diagon Alley with their parents to lessen the chance that anyone would suspect that the ten teens were spending time together for more than summer fun. Before the Potters took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, James cast Glamour charms on all of them to turn their hair light brown and make Lily and Harry’s eyes a dark brown. He also cast a Glamour charm on Harry’ forehead to hide his scar. Once they arrived in the pub, they moved quickly to the brick wall that was the secret entrance to Diagon Alley. The Potters moved down the street, stopping at the various stores to get the items Harry and Rose would need for the school year. At one point they passed by Rita Skeeter and her photographer who were obviously on the lookout for them. It took a great deal of effort for Harry and James to keep their hands away from their wands as they were itching to hex her into the next year. Of course, Lily kept one hand on her husband’s and son’s arm as they passed the evil reporter. By noon, they were at Flourish and Botts where they met up with the other kids. The teens did their best to act like this was the first time they were seeing each other since Harry and Neville’s joint birthday party. Fortunately, the day passed without incident and the teens met up at Potter Manor later that evening. When they resumed their training the next day, James had them practice casting several spells in rapid succession. It was a difficult technique since it prevented you from casting any defensive spells and made you rely on moving about to avoid your opponent’s spells. But it often surprised an opponent to have a series of spells coming at him, ensuring he’d be hit by at least one. James hoped to have them able to cast spells rapidly while moving, making it more likely that they’d quickly overcome an opponent. As August wound down, it became apparent that for some reason, Death Eater activity had stopped. The Daily Prophet carried several articles where Fudge claimed this was a sign of the pamphlet’s effectiveness and gave veiled insults to James and his objections. James restrained himself from replying and concentrated on training the teens, knowing that Voldemort wouldn’t be idle for long. He did his best to keep Harry updated on all that the Order was doing, which was mainly confined to watching out for Death Eaters and their activities. By Rose’s birthday, the ten New Marauders could change their arms and legs and hold it for as long as possible. It was funny to see them with wings and animal legs while retaining their normal heads and bodies. Professor McGonagall told them to start practicing on transforming their bodies and promised to find time to supervise them during the school term, probably on weekends. James had already promised them that they would find time to continue practicing their spells and dueling while they were at school. Of course, they needed to concentrate on their school work first, especially for Neville, Ron, Harry and Hermione who would be taking their O.W.L.s and Fred and George who would be taking their N.E.W.T.s at the end of the last term of the school year. They were allowed the whole day off on Rose’s birthday since all those who didn’t have Potter as a last name were going home for their last night with their families before going back to Hogwarts. Because of this, Rose’s party was held at noon. Just like at Ginny’s party, only the ten teens, their families, Sirius, Sam, Remus and Tonks were there. McGonagall and Dumbledore were also invited but declined because of their duties preparing the school for the returning students. Rose got two hand knitted scarves from Molly and Arthur, Zonko’s joke products from Fred and George, a working model of a dragon from Bill and Charlie, dress robes from Sirius and Sam, a pair of silver earrings from Tonks, a pair of emerald earrings from Harry and Ginny, a set of Wizarding shampoos from Neville and Maggie, a bottle of fine French perfume from Hermione, chocolates from Ron and a small crystal figure of a falcon in flight from Ti. Rose thanked Ti for his gift with a kiss on the cheek, much to the younger boy’s embarrassment. But what she really liked was her present from her parents. James had handed her a nicely wrapped rectangular object. Removing the wrapping revealed a dark blue velvet box. When she opened the box, Rose gasped. Inside was a tear-shaped ruby pendant suspended on a fine gold chain. “That’s from our vault, sweetheart,” Lily said. “It belonged to your father’s grandmother.” “Harry told us how you liked his description of the vault,” James said. “I think it’s time you started to receive some of the family heirlooms to pass them on later to your children and grandchildren.” Rose had tears in her eyes as she hugged her parents. She looked at Harry as he sat there beside Ginny across from her and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him. Harry smiled and mouthed ‘you’re welcome’ back at her. He was always pleased to see his sister happy. “You know, that’s something I’ve always liked about you, Harry,” Ginny’s voice came into his mind, as she leaned her head against his shoulder, “You’re always finding ways to make other people happy, even your sister. That’s not something most brothers would do without asking for something in return.” Harry gave her a mental shrug, “I just love seeing my friends and family happy, Gin.” Ginny rewarded him for that sweet remark with a quick kiss on the lips. The party soon broke up after that. Harry and Rose bid their friends goodbye. Ginny lingered a while to give Harry a properly long kiss before Flooing to the Burrow for the night. As they headed upstairs to their respective rooms to begin packing for school, Rose said, “Do you think the Weasleys will be on time tomorrow?” Harry grinned, “The Weasleys, on time? Not a chance.” Luckily for him, Ginny was already preoccupied with packing to notice his remark or she would have Flooed back to Potter Manor to give him a Bat bogey hex. As she was packing her things, Rose heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she was surprised to see her parents standing there. “Rose dear,” her mother said, “We’d like to talk to you for a bit.” “Sure Mum, what about?” she asked as she let them into the room and they all sat down on her bed. “Well,” James began, “we haven’t been paying attention to your seer abilities lately. When he told us how you liked the vault, Harry mentioned you saw it already in one of your visions. Do you often get visions like that?” Rose shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, “Not that often. Most of them deal with something happening to one of us. But none of them that can help Harry beat that monster.” James drew his arms around her, “Don’t let it bother you, Rose. I remember what you said to Harry when he woke up after that horrible night he was kidnapped. As Ginny said, you can’t control when you have these visions, yet.” Rose looked up at her father and asked, “What do you mean by ‘yet’, Daddy?” “Well,” James began, “Albus talked to us yesterday while you and the others were training and renewed a suggestion he made last year. He thinks that there is a way to train you to be able to draw up these visions more readily. You might be able to predict what can happen with certain actions, like to check if a trap will be sprung as you step through a door.” Rose’s eyes widened, “Really Daddy? How?” “Albus wouldn’t give us any details but said that he had arranged some training for you in that regard this year. He will provide you with the details after the Welcoming Feast. You can tell Harry and your friends, of course.” “Wow, that’s great,” Rose said, “I’ll be able have something all my own to contribute to our little group.” “Yes, darling,” Lily said, smiling at her daughter, “You certainly will.” Rose hugged her parents and thanked them for letting her do whatever Dumbledore planned without knowing the details. They then left her room to let her finish packing. The next day, James shrunk Harry and Rose’s trunks and Hedwig’s cage, having instructed the owl to wait for them at the Station. They then took a portkey directly to a secluded corner of King’s Cross Station. Once James saw that no one had noticed them, he unshrunk the trunks while Harry found a pair of trolleys. They quickly moved to the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten and passed through to Platform Nine and Three quarters. Harry and Rose quickly found a compartment and stowed away their trunks and Hedwig in her cage. They then went back out to say goodbye to their parents and twin siblings. Soon, Neville and Maggie arrived with their parents followed by Hermione and her parents and brother. A few minutes later, Ti came up to them accompanied only by Sam since Sirius couldn’t get time off from work. “Harry,” James said, “Can you find out what’s taking the Weasleys so long? It’s already half past ten.” Harry reached out in his mind for Ginny’s presence and found that she was still at the Burrow. “They’re still at the Burrow,” Harry said, a smirk forming on his face, “I told you they wouldn’t be on time.” “Yeah, yeah,” Rose said, “Tell them to get a move on. Everyone else is here.” Harry concentrated in his mind and opened his link with Ginny. “Gin, what’s taking you guys so long?” he called out to her. “The train will be leaving in another thirty minutes.” “I know, I know,” she answered, irritation evident in her voice, “First, Ron overslept. Then he found out he’d only packed half his trunk. Now, Mum is making sure Fred and George aren’t carrying any of their joke products. It’s a good thing we’re going by portkey. Otherwise, we’d never make it.” Her attention then wandered off for a few seconds before she focused back on Harry. “Finally! Okay, Harry, we’re on our way. See you soon, love.” Harry withdrew from Ginny’s mind but could sense she was on her way. It was a bit disorienting when either of them took one of the Wizarding ways of travel. “They’re on their way,” he said to Rose. “You know, it’s a good thing you can sense her and talk to her like that. Otherwise, we’d have Dad in a panic,” Rose said. After a few seconds, he could sense her just a few feet away. A few moments later, five redheads came through the barrier onto the Platform. Harry immediately ran to the youngest female redhead, engulfing her in his arms and twirling her around. “I missed you,” he murmured softly to her. Ginny giggled, “Harry, we just saw each other last night.” “Hey, only a few people know that. As far as the others are concerned, we might not have seen each other much over the summer.” “Have it your way,” Ginny said, giving him a kiss on the lips. They broke away from each other to say goodbye to their parents. “Take care of my baby, Harry,” Molly said as she hugged him. “Of course, Molly,” Harry said softly, “She’s the most important person to me. Take care of my brother and sister.” Lily was going back to work in another month so Molly would be helping take care of Daisy and Andrew since the Burrow was just as safe as Potter Manor. “Of course, dear,” Molly said, “It will be fun to have some young kids around the house again. Hermione’s parents even said they’d let Daniel come over sometimes.” “That’s great,” Harry said. Once all the goodbyes were said, the teens climbed aboard and went to the compartment Harry and Rose had saved except for Fred and George who went to find Lee Jordan and their other friends. Soon, the train’s horn sounded and the Express pulled out of the station. About an hour after the station was lost to sight, Ti and Maggie left to find their dorm mates. The six teens remaining in the compartment soon started to discuss who the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher would be. They had no clue as to who Dumbledore had hired. Harry had even asked his father who had simply told him not to worry about it. Neville told them that Dean had heard that Dumbledore might have to appoint Snape if he couldn’t find anyone who wanted the job. They knew that the greasy Potions master had wanted that job for a long time. They shuddered at the thought of him finally getting it but fervently hoped it wasn’t true. Rose told them then that Dumbledore had some special training planned for her to harness her seer powers. They congratulated her and hoped to have details of the training when she got them. Hermione got up from her seat at that point and turned to Harry, “Come on, Harry, we’ve got to go.” “What for, Hermione?” Harry asked from where he lay on the bench with his head in Ginny’s lap. Hermione sighed, “Harry, don’t you remember that the prefects meet with the Head Boy and Head Girl on the train on the way to Hogwarts?” “Oops, oh yeah,” Harry said, getting up. After kissing their respective girl/boyfriend, Harry and Hermione left for the prefects’ meeting. Ron, Neville, Ginny and Rose decided to play some Exploding Snap to pass the time away. Just as they were starting, Ginny stopped moving suddenly, surprise forming on her face. “What is it, Ginny?” Rose asked. “Harry and Hermione are at the prefects’ meeting,” she said, “I can see through Harry. Guess who’s a prefect for Slytherin.” There was disgust in her voice. “Well,” Neville said, “From your tone, I think I can guess who, Malfoy, right?” “Right in one,” Ginny said, “He just walked into the meeting with Daphne Greengrass.” “Just great!” Ron cried in frustration, throwing his arms into the air, “Just what we need, Malfoy as a prefect. He’ll be talking points from Gryffindors like mad.” “Well, at least, the other one isn’t Parkinson,” Rose said, “That cow would be unbearable if she were one.” “Too right,” Ginny agreed. Ginny was distracted from the game since she was following the prefects’ meeting through Harry. “So who’re Head Boy and Head Girl?” Rose asked. “The Head Boy’s someone from Ravenclaw,” Ginny said. “I think Simon Forbisher. The Head Girl is Jacquelyn Turner.” Turner was a seventh year Gryffindor and a dorm mate of Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. “Thank Merlin,” Ron said, “At least the Head Girl’s from our House. I bet she won’t put up with any crap from Slytherins.” “I don’t know, Ron,” Rose said, “As Head Girl, she can’t play favorites. She has to be fair with all the houses.” Ron shrugged his shoulders, “Well, we’ll see. Who are the other prefects in our year?” Ginny concentrated for a while then said, “Harry said they’re Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott for Hufflepuff and Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw.” “Well, at least we know them a bit from class,” Neville said, “Anthony and Hannah are okay but Ernie’s a bit of a stuck up.” Just then, the door to their compartment opened and in stepped Ti, who had a cut on his lip, bruises on his face and the beginnings of a black eye. He slammed the door shut as the others stated at him. “What happened to you, Ti?” Rose said, moving to him and helping him to sit down. “Bloody gits,” Ti muttered, “Idiots they are.” “Who are you talking about?” Ginny asked. “My dorm mates, that’s who,” Ti answered angrily, “Albert Dowley and Paul bloody Longshore.” “You better tell us what happened, Ti,” Neville said as he examined Ti’s eye. “I found my four so-called friends and dorm mates in one compartment,” Ti began, “You remember them, Albert, Paul, Jake Stone and Bradley Martin? Well, we started talking about our summer. I told them I spent it mostly with Sirius and Sam. Then Albert asked me if I was still friends with Harry. I said of course. He then asked if I saw him over the summer. I said I went over to his house a few times. After all, Sirius and Harry’s parents are longtime friends. Then Paul asked me what I thought about the articles in the Prophet. I told them I thought it was a lot of shit and cow dung and I didn’t believe a word of it. Paul told me his Dad often told him how a hothead Harry’s Dad was and a loose cannon who was too young to be Head of the Aurors. His Dad said that firing James Potter was one of the best decisions Umbridge had made.” “What!” Rose exclaimed, feeling her temper rise, “Now that is utter nonsense.” “I told him that and more,” Ti said, “I called Paul’s dad an ass for saying all that. Then Paul called Harry an attention-seeking spoiled brat.” “What!” Ginny exclaimed, “Why, that git!” “Then he went on how Harry got Moody killed,” Ti said, “That’s when I hit him. I think I broke his nose. Albert looked surprised for a moment but he started to throw a punch at me so I hit him first. They ganged up on me then while Jake and Bradley stood by, unwilling to get involved. Finally, I gave Albert a chop to the neck and Paul a kick to the side of his head that knocked them out. I yelled at Jake and Bradley for just standing there. Then I stormed out of there and headed back here.” Neville and Ron exchanged a grin and clapped Ti on the shoulder. “Good job, mate,” Ron said, “Harry would be proud that you defended him like that.” Rose and Ginny shook their heads in exasperation, “Boys,” they said. “Still, I’m glad you hit him for what they said about Dad and Harry,” Rose said, grinning. “I agree,” Ginny said. The two girls sat on either side of Ti and each gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks, “Thanks,” they said together. Ti blushed and looked down at his feet, though he had a small smile on his face. “Oh, one more thing happened before that,” Ti said after a few seconds, “While I was looking for Albert and the rest, I ran into Draco.” “Really?” Ginny asked, concern forming on her face. “Yeah,” Ti said, “The funny thing is, he didn’t insult or sneer at me. He politely said hi to me. He even asked me if I had a good summer and enjoyed being with Sirius.” “Wow!” Rose said, “Did he really?” “Are you sure it was Draco?” Ron asked, “Do you think he has a good twin?” “No, really, he did,” Ti said, “I was so surprised I couldn’t answer well. I just said that my summer was okay and being with Sirius was fun.” “Hmm, that is strange,” Ginny said, “Do you think he’s changing his ways?” “I don’t know,” Ti said, “It does seem strange. I’ve gotten used to him being so mean to me. But he did seem less hostile and mean last term. I hope he is changing.” He looked at the other four, “I envy you guys sometimes. I look at you and your parents and your brothers and sisters and imagine that was me, Draco, Mum and Dad. Sirius and Sam are great and I really look forward to being a big brother to their kid but they’re just my surrogate family. I’d love to have a good relationship with Draco and not have him trying to beat me up every time he sees me.” A single tear ran down his cheek. Rose hugged him tightly and said, “Oh Ti, I can only imagine what that’s like. Harry and I often tease each other and sometimes fight but we’ve always cared deeply for each other. I do hope for your sake that Draco is finally seeing the light so you can have a big brother to look up to.” As they watched Rose comfort Ti, Ginny and Neville silently agreed with Rose and hoped Ti was right about Draco. |
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