All right, y'all, here's the deal: I am a teacher of students with significant cognitive disabilities. The school year where I teach starts August 15th. I started teacher prep/professional development (kill me now!) this week. On top of that, I am also going to school at night starting August 27 to earn my degree as a special education teacher. So far, I am a certified teacher, but for elementary education K-6. And I'm a mom to two little boys (6 and 4). And I'm married (10 years this past June!).
It's a lot. I'm going to do my best to aim for weekly updates on Saturday/Sunday, but I can't make any promises for sure because I just don't know what my workload will really be like this year. I do promise that I will not abandon this story. The chapters I have rough drafts of have included some major moments that are going to have a massive effect on the main plot (I know, the main plot? We haven't even started on that, yet!), and I want to see where those changes take this story, because I still don't know what the long-term consequences of the first story really are!
With all that said, here's the confrontation with the Dursleys. This was a difficult chapter to write because there's a part of me that wants to make them pay. Thing is, the bigger part of me can only see Dumbledore's agenda. Given that Voldemort can't get to Harry even with Harry's blood in his veins tells me that the protection charm Dumbledore placed is the best protection Harry has. It's really important to me to be true to the characters as best I can, and this chapter is the result of that. I do bring up Obscurials again in this chapter, and while I know that Harry never could have been one, Harry doesn't quite get that, just yet. I promise that Sirius will approach the issue with more kindness and care in the next chapter now that he's finally calming down. Enjoy!
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Path Diverged II | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Romance Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mental Abuse, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 220 Summary: The Wizarding world finally knows that Lord Voldemort has returned, and the Second War has begun. As Harry prepares to enter his sixth year at Hogwarts, he is forced to deal with the trauma from his last encounter with Voldemort, the upcoming trial of Dolores Umbridge, Sirius's uncomfortable questions about his childhood, his budding relationship with Ginny Weasley, and the unknown shadow of what lies ahead as the "Chosen One" who must defeat Voldemort once and for all. This is an AU take of Half-Blood Prince following my previous story, Path Diverged. Hitcount: Story Total: 92607; Chapter Total: 3824 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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Harry immediately noticed that Uncle Vernon’s car was parked rather haphazardly in the driveway as though he’d parked in a rush, something most unusual for the man. As he and Dumbledore neared the house, the front door opened and Ginny barreled out, flinging herself into Harry’s arms and squeezing him tightly. “We’ve been so worried about you!” she cried into his chest as he hugged her back. “What were you thinking, running off like that?” Suddenly, she pulled away and swatted Harry’s chest hard. “Ow!” he said, rubbing it. “Ginny –” He wasn’t able to get another word in, because next thing he knew, Ginny had dragged him down and crashed her mouth to his, arms tight around his neck. Harry was horribly confused by her emotional state at this point, but kissed her back, anyway. Abruptly, Ginny pulled back, eyes wide. “I hit you!” she said faintly. “Merlin, Harry, I’m so sorry, I never should’ve –” Harry preferred the kissing, so he did just that. “It’s fine,” he said with a small grin when he pulled away. “I can honestly say I’ve had worse.” “That’s not funny, Harry!” said Ginny, ears going red just like Ron’s. “You can’t just – I mean –” “Sometimes it’s easier to joke about pain than to feel it,” interrupted Sirius from the open doorway. “All right, kiddo?” “I’m sorry I ran off like that,” Harry told him as Ginny backed up a couple steps to look him over critically as Mrs. Weasley often did, “especially after I –” But Sirius waved him off. “You were overwhelmed and reacted, and we were the idiots who didn’t notice the signs,” he said, striding forward and pulling Harry into a fierce hug. “I’m just glad you’re all right.” “We’re all glad,” said Ron as he stepped outside. “It’s awfully tense in there right now, though.” Harry shot Sirius a worried look. “My uncle –” “Is waiting for us in the kitchen with your aunt and cousin,” Sirius answered right away. “Don’t worry, the Muggles know they’re long overdue for a good conversation about how they treated you growing up.” Harry did worry, though. He was actually quite incredibly worried, in all honesty, and forced himself to admit as such. “I hurt them, I scared them,” he said. “They’re going to be angry and –” “Your uncle’s already been warned not to let his temper get the best of him,” Ron told him as Sirius and Ginny guided him to the front door. “Besides, your aunt and cousin weren’t actually hurt besides a couple of bruises, and I bet that’s mild compared to what they’ve done to you in the past.” He reached out without warning and hugged Harry tightly. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he muttered. “We were really worried about you.” Harry nodded, hugging his friend back. “Sorry,” he replied quietly. “Don’t be,” said Ron as he pulled away. “Just – let’s get this over with, yeah?” Harry nodded again, but halted stiffly in the entryway, chest tightening unpleasantly once more. He suddenly felt Dumbledore’s hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, Harry,” he said quietly. “No harm will come to you or them tonight.” Harry took a deep breath, nodded a third time, and forced himself to follow Sirius and his friends into the kitchen. Mad-Eye Moody was standing in there already, his magical eye spinning so wildly around the room that it made Harry’s stomach a bit queasy. “Remus, Emmeline, and Tonks should be back in here in a moment or two,” Moody informed them as soon as they entered the room. “I had them do one last perimeter check just to be safe.” “Thank you, Alastor,” said Dumbledore. Harry forced himself to look over at his relatives. Dudley was staring at the kitchen table, and his parents sat on either side of him, fearful gazes alternating between Moody’s eye and the others as they entered. They didn’t look at Harry. “Good evening,” said Dumbledore, stepping past Harry to smile at the Dursleys. “I am Albus Dumbledore. Petunia, we have corresponded in the past, if you will recall.” Petunia gave a sharp nod and looked away. “It would seem,” Dumbledore continued pleasantly, “that we have a bit of a… situation on our hands. Certain facts from Harry’s childhood have come to light today, facts that I must say neither myself nor my companions find acceptable. I realize, of course, that it is quite impossible to change the past, but as Harry must stay here for one more week –” “We don’t want him here,” Uncle Vernon spoke up at last, eyes narrowed and face purpling. “We never did.” Hearing this over and over in the same day was starting to wear on Harry, and he could hear Voldemort laughing about it in his head again. He felt Ginny take his hand and he squeezed it, saying nothing, focusing only on what was happening now. “Vernon,” said Aunt Petunia quietly, “you know why we had to.” “This dark – that Lord Voldything you’ve talked about before,” Uncle Vernon scoffed. “I remember. But if you lot are out there fighting him, why does the boy have to keep coming back? I’d expect your kind to be able to –” “Keep Harry safe?” Sirius cut in. “The issue isn’t Voldemort at this point, it’s you.” “I created a protection forged from the blood Harry and Petunia share through his mother, Lily,” said Dumbledore. “So long as Harry can call this place home, Voldemort cannot touch him.” “Again, not the issue here,” Sirius stated firmly as the front door opened. Harry looked around to see Lupin, Tonks, and Emmeline Vance enter and head their way. “Agreed,” said Moody gruffly. “The issue is the way you’ve treated your own nephew.” “Oh good,” said Tonks loudly as she entered the kitchen, “we haven’t missed much.” She glared at the Dursleys, her hair turning from bubblegum pink to a fiery red that rivaled Ginny’s, and Harry’s aunt and uncle blanched at this. Dudley’s gaze remained fixed on the kitchen table. “I promised no interference in your raising of Harry in the letter I left with him fifteen years ago,” said Dumbledore, voice quite calm, but with a note of something almost chilled in it now. “I promised to keep Wizardkind from this place, to allow you to live your lives in peace as his guardians, and I expressed the hope that you would care for him as though he were your own in the wake of his parents’ murder.” Dumbledore paused, and the expressions on the faces of those in the Order of the Phoenix grew grim. The Dursleys drew very slightly closer together. “You did not do as I asked,” Dumbledore stated neutrally. “While I always suspected that Harry suffered neglect at your hands, what I have learned this evening extends to cruelty.” “Abuse,” Sirius snapped tightly. “Physical and emotional abuse, Dursley, not to mention severe neglect.” Vernon’s face was still quite purple, but he actually looked slightly abashed. “A cupboard might be houseroom,” Lupin spoke up sharply, his mild tone quite absent as his eyes gleamed almost unnaturally, “but it is a poor excuse for space in a house more than large enough to support a family of this size.” “I wouldn’t call it a family at this point, Remus,” said Tonks darkly as Emmeline Vance scowled and nodded. “Hard to see it that way given that you lot starved Harry of everything a child needs to thrive and overindulged the fat one to the point of monstrosity.” Aunt Petunia flushed, but said nothing. Uncle Vernon swelled like a bullfrog. “How dare you refer to my son –” “Just telling it like it is,” Tonks spoke over him, hair still violently red. Dudley was flushed now, and yet he still did not look up. “The point is,” Sirius cut in once more, “that none of this should have ever happened. Harry never should’ve been treated this way.” “And where were you, then?” Aunt Petunia suddenly spoke up, making Dudley jump in his seat. “You’re his godfather! If anyone should have had the boy, it should have been you!” Sirius flinched as though struck. “He was framed for a crime he didn’t commit,” said Lupin, voice even, but not calm. “Harry had no one left to care for him but yourself within the space of a single day, Petunia.” “It was a difficult choice to make,” said Dumbledore, “but one I had to make with thought to the future. Lord Voldemort does seek to bring harm to Harry, and he is aware of how tenuous the protection here can be.” “It wouldn’t take much to get them to throw you out, would it, boy, to break Dumbledore’s protection and leave you completely open to attack…” Harry took deep, even breaths, trying to ignore the flashback. Ginny sensed his inner turmoil and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. “Focus on me,” she whispered as the adults continued to talk around them. “There remains,” Dumbledore was still speaking as Harry managed to focus again, “the fact that Harry must stay here for one more week to ensure the protection I created for him will continue for another year. I know you are all unnerved from the accidental magic that occurred earlier this evening –” Uncle Vernon’s beard twitched as he scowled. “He could have hurt my family,” he cut off Dumbledore shortly. “He could’ve done this or so much worse at any time!” “You’re lucky that didn’t ever happen, Dursley,” barked Moody. “You don’t know just what you could’ve done to your nephew, or how that might have resulted in your untimely death.” “You mean I could’ve been an Obscurus,” Harry finally spoke up. Dumbledore turned to face Harry, surprise flitting across his face. “You know what an Obscurus is?” he asked sharply. Harry was suddenly the center of attention, and it made him very uncomfortable. Ginny pulled away one arm, but kept the other wrapped around his waist as she turned to face the headmaster. “Sirius mentioned it earlier when we were all arguing,” she said, “though I’ve never heard the term before.” “That’s not where I first heard it,” Harry told her. It was always easier to tell her, even when others were around to hear what he was saying. “It was Voldemort. He – he said they didn’t do it right, that they – they should have told me that I was a wizard first and then –” He broke off, unable to verbalize the word in front of so many people. “He found one once, in Albania,” he said more quietly. “A girl, he said she’d been victimized for her magic after her parents had died and that it would just – explode out of her and attack people. He thought it was fascinating, stuck around to watch what happened, and eventually her magic turned in on her and she died.” “Obscurials are highly uncommon,” said Dumbledore quietly. “Children who are made to fear and feel ashamed of their own magic are susceptible to losing control of their abilities in this way, but as their existence is the foundation of our laws regarding corporal punishment and child abuse, this happens very rarely.” “He wished it’d been me,” Harry mumbled. Sirius sucked in a sharp breath. “Don’t you think on that for one moment,” he said, striding forward and placing his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Not ever, you hear me?” Harry nodded, and Sirius turned to Dumbledore. “I insist on staying here full-time until the two weeks are up.” Dumbledore considered this for a moment before nodding. “Agreed.” He looked at the Dursleys. “You have a guest room that should be quite suitable for Sirius to use for the next week.” Uncle Vernon still looked furious. “How do we know this won’t happen again?” he demanded. “It was an accident, Dad,” said Dudley softly. Harry was taken aback and blinked at his cousin, trying to figure out where this unexpected support had come from. Uncle Vernon turned to look at his son, looking just as surprised as Harry felt. “Dudley?” Harry's cousin went rather pink in the face upon realizing that he was now the center of attention, and he almost looked ready to waddle away as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. After a moment, however, his resolve seemed to steel, and he sat up straighter in his chair. “Harry didn’t mean to do it,” said Dudley in a louder voice. “He just – he wanted us to stop having a go at each other about him. And why wouldn’t he?” he added, voice growing stronger. “Anytime something went wrong, it always ended in punishment.” Dudley met Harry's eyes. “He didn’t… want to end up being punished again.” Harry’s mouth fell open. Dudley was defending him? And what was more, he spoke true. Anything happening in this house that wasn't supposed to always meant Harry suffered somehow, especially if Dudley was involved somehow. This was… Harry couldn’t describe it. “Well said, Dudley,” said Dumbledore with a respectful nod. “Extenuating circumstances such as what happened today can result in accidental magic. If we avoid the triggers, we can also, therefore, avoid the consequences. Do you understand this, Mr. Dursley?” Uncle Vernon seemed to have been struck dumb by the current situation, but eventually nodded. “We all understand,” Aunt Petunia said quickly. “But there’s no need for any other adults to stay here –” “I wholeheartedly disagree,” Sirius cut her off. “There’s a lot you don’t know about what Harry’s been through recently, and it’s pretty obvious why he wouldn’t share any of that with you. But, as a trusted adult who knows everything, my presence can ensure that any triggers are avoided.” “After the way you shouted at me this afternoon,” replied Aunt Petunia coolly, “I don’t know that I’d refer to you as particularly trustworthy, Black. You were as much a part of the problem today as I was.” This admission of guilt was almost as surprising as Dudley defending Harry. He wasn’t sure he could take much more of this. Sirius scowled, and Lupin quietly walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to calm him. “I should have handled myself better,” he agreed stiffly. “I sometimes act rashly, but I love Harry, and I would do anything to make amends for my mistakes today. Would you be able to claim to do the same?” he asked Aunt Petunia, who eyed him for a long moment before looking away. “Fine, you may stay,” she finally said. “But, only on the condition that you feed yourselves and stay out of the way as much as possible. What the neighbors would think if they knew you were staying here.” She shuddered. Typical Aunt Petunia, Harry thought dryly. “Not a problem,” replied Sirius with a grin. “My house elf will see to our needs, which, speaking of… Kreacher!” It had been worth it for Aunt Petunia’s shriek alone, Harry thought later as the others prepared to depart. Kreacher was certainly cleaner now than when Harry had first met him last summer, but he was small and wrinkled and wore only a white towel around his waist. Aunt Petunia was still scrubbing down the kitchen floor where he’d stood as the others gathered at the front door. “I shall have Arthur request that a member of the Department of Improper Use of Magic come to collect your statement in the morning, Sirius,” Dumbledore informed him as he opened the front door. “Harry, Sirius, your servant.” He shook both Harry and Sirius’s hands before setting off the street corner to Disapparate. “Tonks and I will make sure Ron and Ginny get home safe,” said Lupin to Sirius as Ron clapped Harry on the back and Ginny kissed him goodbye. “I love you,” whispered Ginny. “I’m sorry I pushed you so much today.” “It’s okay,” said Harry. “It – it probably would’ve come out, anyway.” Whether I wanted it to or not, he added silently. What was done was done, and there wasn’t much use in wishing he could have kept it all hidden. Lupin and Tonks both handed out their own hugs before setting off with Ron and Ginny. “I’ll be keeping the night shift for guard duty going just in case,” Moody informed Sirius before he left, magical eye checking his surroundings at all times. Emmeline Vance hesitated at the door. “I know we don’t know each other very well,” she told Harry, “but I just… I wanted to tell you that your past does not define your self-worth. Remember that.” “Wise words,” said Sirius, shaking her hand. “Be safe out there, Emmy.” He shut the door behind her and turned to Harry. “Let’s see the guest bedroom, then, shall we?” Harry nodded and led Sirius upstairs. He was certain that Kreacher had already been in and out, delivering clothes and other toiletries Sirius would need for his stay. Uncle Vernon and Dudley had both headed up to their respective rooms as soon as possible, but while the master bedroom door was firmly shut, Dudley’s was still wide open. Harry paused and looked in at his cousin. “Hey,” said Dudley quietly from his bed. “What’s happened to you?” Harry couldn’t help but ask. “A year ago, you’d have been begging for me to gone for good.” Dudley flushed and looked down. “Last year,” he said. “Yeah, I er… when you saved me, I saw things, horrible things…” “You said that last year, I remember.” Dudley shifted uncomfortably. “I saw myself,” he admitted. “But I saw me the way I think you see me.” “And how do you think I see you?” asked Harry, genuinely curious. Dudley took a deep breath. “A bully,” he said. “Spoiled. Mean.” Harry considered this. “Yeah, okay,” he finally said, “that does sum it up pretty well, actually.” “Mum and Dad act like you’re a waste of space,” stated Dudley. “But I don’t think that, Harry. I’m sorry.” Harry was dimly aware that his mouth had fallen open again. “It’s like the dementors blew a new personality into you,” he said, and Sirius chuckled a bit at this, bringing Harry back to himself. “I er, well, thank you,” he added. “Goodnight, Big D.” Dudley smiled a bit, and Harry headed for the guest bedroom, pulling it open as Dudley’s door quietly clicked shut. “That was really weird,” Harry told Sirius fervently after he turned on the light and shut the door behind them. “Dudley has never been like that.” “Thoughtful?” Sirius suggested. “Not ever,” agreed Harry. “This whole day has just taken everything I’ve ever known and turned it on its head.” He sighed and looked around the room. “Aunt Marge is the only one who ever stays in here,” he told Sirius. “Vernon’s sister, right?” said Sirius as he inspected the bed. “She about as fat as he is?” Harry chuckled and nodded. “Almost as much mustache, too.” Sirius grinned. “Sounds deplorable.” He straightened, suddenly looking somber. “Listen, I’m sorry for what happened earlier.” “Sirius,” sighed Harry, “I really don’t –” “No,” said Sirius firmly. “I lost twelve years of my life to prison by acting rashly. I haven’t been a good role model for you, nor have I acted like the adult I should be. I allowed my emotions to overwhelm me in the face of what I learned today, and the way I reacted was not the way I should have.” He stepped closer to Harry and placed his hands on his shoulders. “I’m assuming you never spoke about the cupboard because of how others, like myself, might react?” Harry looked down at his feet. “It’s just – embarrassing,” he finally forced out. “I know normal people don’t –” “I’m going to stop you there,” Sirius cut him off, gripping his shoulders tightly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your obsession with that word.” Harry frowned at him. “Normal. Harry, what’s normal is entirely subjective depending on the group mentality that you’re in. What you went through growing up was not normal for Muggles or Wizards, but that doesn’t mean you should feel embarrassed about it.” He pulled Harry over to sit with him on the bed. “Parents and guardians are supposed to be responsible for their children,” he told Harry. “They are supposed to teach them how to be contributing members of society, take care of them when they’re ill, enact consequences when they make wrong choices, and love them no matter what.” Sirius placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You did not get what you needed here,” he said. “You were treated like the lowest of house elves.” Harry briefly thought of Dobby, and genuinely thought he’d had it at least a bit better than that. “As for me…” Sirius sighed. “My parents’ idea of ‘consequences’ was emotional and physical abuse. I thought they loved me when I was small, but I was already seeing that it was more about having control over me than it was about loving me by the time I met your dad. Did they teach me? Yes. Did they care for me when I was ill? In their own way, yes. But one toe out of line exacted painful punishment, especially for me as the oldest and heir to the Black legacy.” “Are all pure-bloods like that?” asked Harry. “No,” Sirius answered. “Well,” he conceded after a moment, “there can be emotional manipulation to a certain extent, but magical children of pure-blood families are to be treasured because they carry on the line and the family name. They must be of sound mind and body, and that’s not likely to happen if they’re mistreated. It wasn’t always like that, though, and some families, like mine, held to the old ideas of severely punishing a child when they did not honor their family name.” “And you didn’t honor your family name,” said Harry. Sirius chuckled. “I could not for the life of me understand why we couldn’t interact with Muggles when our home was surrounded by them, and my parents couldn’t convince me that we were completely superior when the Muggles had motorcycles and rock music.” “You like rock music?” asked Harry in surprise. “Queen, the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith, all the greats,” Sirius told him with a wide grin. “Please tell me you’ve at least got some Muggle music knowledge.” Harry shrugged. “Uncle Vernon mostly listens to the news, and Aunt Petunia’s taste in music has always been what the other neighbors are listening to. Dudley never cared much for music, either.” Sirius let out a fake, long-suffering sigh. “I see I shall have to take charge of your education, then,” he said. “After this next week is up and you’re free to leave, we’re going to have to get started on that.” “Where exactly am I going to stay once I can leave?” asked Harry. “We’ve talked about it, but I don’t remember an actual decision being made.” “I know you’d normally go stay at the Burrow with the Weasleys,” said Sirius, “but seeing as how you’re dating Ginny, it could be a bit… unseemly to have you living in the same home as your girlfriend.” Harry flushed. “I wouldn’t do anything I shouldn’t!” he protested, and Sirius laughed. “We haven’t even had the Talk yet, young man, so I struggle with the idea that you even know what you should or shouldn’t do!” Harry’s face was burning now. “The other boys in my dorm have talked,” he said defensively, thinking primarily of Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. “I’m not completely ignorant.” “You’re getting garbled, second-hand information from a bunch of hormonal teens,” said Sirius with raised eyebrows. “Not what I would call informed. Trust me, we are going to be discussing this quite thoroughly after we leave this place.” “Do we have to?” Harry whinged. “Yes,” said Sirius firmly. “So, given everything, you’re coming to stay with me.” “At Grimmauld Place.” "It's the safest place for you outside of this dump," said Sirius. "We'll still go over to the Burrow every day, though." Harry didn't like it, but nodded his understanding, anyway. They chatted for a few more minutes before turning in for the night, Harry's mind still buzzing over all that had occurred that day. He could only hope for a peaceful nights' rest. |
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