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The Lives We Touch | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: General Warnings: None Rating: PG Reviews: 152 Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated in over 2 years *** When ten year old Harry Potter is assigned to Maggie Thompson's fifth year class at Little Whinging Primary School, the young teacher takes an immediate interest in and liking to the strange but sweet young boy. As their friendship grows through the years, Maggie finds herself pulled into a new world beyond her wildest imagination that sets her on a course for love and adventure. Hitcount: Story Total: 67155; Chapter Total: 4347 Author's Notes: This chapter is simply because I thought a little Harry/Maggie goodness was in order. |
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Chapter Eight - Getting to Know You…Again Later that evening... “…so Ron and Hermione are your two best friends from this school called Hogwarts?” Harry nodded and watched as his former primary school teacher picked at the third helping of stew that Molly Weasley had piled in front of Maggie. Stabbing at a chunk of potato, she looked up at him and asked pointedly, “And this school teaches you how to be a better wizard?” He nodded again and this time added a smile as she chewed thoughtfully on the potato before saying, “You know, Harry, I called around to a lot of schools to find you a few years ago…but Hogwarts wasn’t on my list.” “It’s not on many people’s lists.” The green eyed boy conceded before asking shyly, “You called around looking for me?” “Of course I did,” Maggie informed him with a tender smile, “You got to me, Harry Potter. And I thought that I had let you down, so I wanted to make sure that no one else let you down the way Little Whinging had.” They shared another knowing smile as the pair fell into a comfortable silence that was broken only by the crack and pop of the kitchen fire and the occasional voices of the people mingling about on the floors above, until Maggie grinned slyly and asked, “And the other girl…the redhead…is she your girlfriend?” Maggie fought back the urge to giggle as she watched the blush creep up his neck and spread out onto his cheeks as he stammered, “No. That’s just Ginny.” “Just Ginny?” The teacher teased after swallowing another bite of stew. “So ‘Just Ginny’ is not your girlfriend?” “No.” “But you want her to be?” “No,” Harry answered, a little too quickly. “She’s Ron’s sister. And a friend.” He looked up at her stubbornly and added, “Just a friend.” “Okay, I get it…’Just Ginny’ is just a friend.” Maggie kidded him, not really believing a word that he said. She watched him stand up abruptly and move to retrieve them a couple more bottles of butterbeer before sitting back down at the kitchen table with her. As he shoved the drink across the table, she decided to drop the girlfriend subject and asked, “So, all of the redheads are part of Ron and Ginny’s family?” “The Weasleys.” Harry affirmed, twisting the cap off of his butterbeer and taking a sip. When he had swallowed, he added, “They are what’s called a pure-blood wizarding family. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and all seven of their children are pretty powerful witches and wizards.” “Seven children?” Maggie asked, almost choking on her own sip of butterbeer. “Wow. I thought the tradition of having large families like that was long gone. I mean, growing up in a family of five children made me different…but seven?” She smiled and added, “I like it though. I think children from big families have a bond that no one else can truly understand. Where are the other two?” “Charlie is in Romania working for the Order of the Phoenix and Percy…” Harry hesitated before he settled on saying, “Percy lives here in London.” Maggie could tell by the look on Harry’s face that she probably didn’t want to touch that one with a ten foot pole, so instead she said, “I like Molly. She reminds me a little bit of my own mother and grandmother all rolled into one. It seems like she has taken care of you, too, over the years.” “Like one of her own.” He said with a wistful smile and Maggie suddenly felt like throwing her arms around Molly Weasley and never letting go. “And all of the others…they are part of this secret society gearing up to fight the Dark Lord?” Harry nodded again as he said, “The Order of the Phoenix. My mum and dad were a part of it…before Voldemort killed them.” Maggie halted her fork full of stew in mid-air as she watched Harry with wide eyes. Finally putting the utensil down, she repeated quietly, “Voldemort killed your parents? Oh Harry…” she breathed, not knowing exactly what to say to him at that point. “They fought against him.” He mumbled, picking up a spare fork and reaching across the table to stab at a bite of her stew. “So he tracked them down and killed them.” “So there never was a car accident?” Harry nodded slowly, so Maggie sighed and admitted, “I guess I always wondered what kind of cut would leave a scar shaped like a lightning bolt.” Sensing that he was not all that comfortable talking about it, she changed the subject again and asked, “So the guy with the freaky eye patch…” “Mad Eye Moody.” He replied, smiling at her description of the Auror. “He’s a good guy?” Harry nodded again and Maggie asked skeptically, “Are you sure?” “Very sure.” “He’s a bit scary looking, don’t you think?” “Well, looks can be deceiving.” Harry told her, sounding very much like the teacher for a moment. “You can say that again.” Maggie rolled her eyes and screwed up her face in a way that caused Harry to laugh out loud. Reveling in the sound, she added, “Speaking of looks, that girl with the pink hair changed her nose for me a few times before she left. I think she was trying to get me to laugh. It worked.” “Tonks is very cool.” Harry agreed. “You’ll like her a lot.” “And the other two men…” “Remus and Sirius.” Harry reminded her, figuring that they would get back around to Sirius eventually. He really couldn’t explain his godfather’s peculiar behavior, but he certainly hadn’t made a good first impression on Miss Thompson. “They were my dad’s two best friends.” “Really?” Maggie asked, looking at him with interest. “They seem so mismatched to be best friends. I mean, Remus is…nice.” Harry chuckled at her expression and said, “Yes, he is. He was my professor at Hogwarts for a term before he had to move on.” He looked up at her intently and added, “And Sirius is not really as bad as he seemed tonight…” “I should hope not.” Maggie interrupted, stabbing at her stew with a bit more force. “I was thrilled to hear that you had found your godfather, Harry. But I have to tell you that I don’t know if I’m all that crazy about you staying with such an unstable and angry…” “He’s been cooped up here for a few months.” Harry told her quickly, not wanting Maggie to write off Sirius before she got to know him. “And the first time he got outside into the fresh air, it ends up with us possibly being seen by a Death Eater and you being trapped here, too. He knows it is partly his fault that you got stuck here and because he’s hiding out, he can’t do anything to help either one of us.” “Why is he hiding out?” “He went to prison for killing Peter Pettigrew…” “The man who turned into a rat?” Harry nodded and continued, “He spent twelve years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. And wizarding prisons are not like Muggle prisons…they have these guards who suck out your soul…” Harry paused at Maggie’s sharp intake of breath before adding, “…and even though he’s out now, he still can’t live as a free man because he can’t prove that Pettigrew is still alive.” “Which is where I come in.” Maggie deduced. “Professor Lupin…Remus…told me that he thinks Sirius feels responsible for what happened to my parents. He couldn’t stop it from happening to them and now he can’t protect me either because he can‘t leave this house.” Wanting to make sure she understood Sirius‘ reaction, he added forcefully, “Sirius isn’t good at being helpless.” “So I’m supposed to give him a second chance?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at Harry. “He did save your life tonight,” Harry reminded her. “And he’s letting you stay in his house.” When Maggie gave him a knowing look, he laughed and added, “I know the place is a little creepy, but he’s only trying to protect everyone. Including you.” “Only because he thinks I can free him,” Maggie muttered, “And then I’ll be the one cooped up here instead.” “I’m really sorry, Miss Thompson,” Harry said looking at her forlornly. “You shouldn’t have to be mixed up in this…” “Harry, I’m not your teacher anymore,” she interrupted with a sad smile, “and after everything that has happened here tonight, I think you should start calling me Maggie.” He returned her smile as she continued, “And you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t mean for this to happen. It just…happened.” “So you do believe me?” He asked hopefully. “About all of this?” Maggie considered him thoughtfully before she answered slowly, “I always knew that there was something special about you, Harry. Of course, I never expected this.” Harry chuckled and answered, “Me neither.” “It suits you, though.” “Really?” he asked in surprise. “You’re not the same boy who walked into my fifth grade class, Harry,” Maggie told him with a look of pride on her face. “I was very worried about that boy…wondering what would happen to him out in the big, cruel world. But now, you’re happier. More confident and at ease with who you are. You laugh easier and smile more.” Smiling widely, she finished, “You’ve found your place.” “This is where I belong.” Harry agreed happily. Maggie’s face fell as the mood changed and she reminded him, “But this isn‘t where I belong. This isn’t my world, Harry…” But their conversation was interrupted by Sirius bounding down the steps and into the kitchen announcing, “Molly has decreed that none of the empty bedrooms in this house are fit for Princess Maggie to sleep in…” “Sirius,” Harry interrupted, rolling his eyes. “I was just trying to convince her that you weren’t as bad as you seem.” The dark haired man looked down at his godson and let out a bark like laugh before he continued, “So, anyway, I’ve been sent down here to tell you that you will be sleeping up in my room tonight and we will begin cleaning out one of the third floor bedrooms for you tomorrow…” “Your bedroom?” Maggie interrupted in alarm. “I am not sleeping with you!” “Don’t flatter yourself, Miss Magnolia,” Sirius sneered, barely bothering to look over at her, “Molly has also decided that I will be sleeping in my brother’s old room, which should be plenty of fun for me. She and Ginny are upstairs changing the sheets on my bed and the room shall be ready for you shortly.” “Thank you.” Maggie replied stiffly, taking another sip of her butterbeer. “I don’t know when I lost control of my own house…” Sirius muttered as he turned and walked back up the stairs to the drawing room. “Trapped here like I am still a prisoner, getting ordered around by somebody else’s mother, kicked out of my own bed by a Muggle…” Maggie pursed her lips and glared at Harry as she sneered, “Not as bad as he seems, eh?” Helplessly Harry answered, “He’s usually not this surly…” “Yeah,” Maggie interrupted, standing up and taking her plate over to the sink, “I’m sure he’s a real peach.” |
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