Search:

SIYE Time:11:03 on 28th March 2024
SIYE Login: no


Black & Red
By CharmHazel

- Text Size +

Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black
Genres: Drama, General, Romance
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Reviews: 76
Summary: Raised by his godfather, following the events of Halloween 1981, Harry spends his childhood, hidden from the Wizarding World, preparing to face his destiny. However, his world is turned upside down when he reunites with the beautiful redhead he rescued down in the Chamber.
Hitcount: Story Total: 30475; Chapter Total: 1419
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Thank you to Arnel for brilliant editing as always. (Edited - 6/8/2021)




ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter


It was the first morning of the new school term following the Christmas holidays with Ginny and her brothers having returned to Hogwarts the day before. It had not been easy to say goodbye to Harry after spending the holidays with him as their relationship had become stronger with everything that they had shared with one another, including the full details of what was needed to be done to destroy Voldemort for once and for all. It had also been hard to leave her father, who had finally been discharged from St. Mungo’s and was slowly on his way to recovering. For some reason, being back at Hogwarts felt strange, especially knowing what she now knew.

Ginny was just sitting down at the Gryffindor table to have breakfast when a mass of owls flew into the Great Hall, signifying that the post had arrived. She ignored the owls, not expecting anything on her first morning back, and began piling her plate with her favourite foods. However, just as she went to take her first mouthful, her goblet of pumpkin juice went flying as a package was dropped onto the table in front of her.

“I wish some of these owls would make the effort to land rather than dropping the post onto the table,” Ginny muttered angrily as she reached out to pick up the package.

“Who is it from?” Hermione asked from across the table, having used her wand to quickly clean up the mess the owl had made.

“I haven’t a clue,” she replied as she quickly opened the package to discover a note and a copy of The Quibbler. She held in the gasp that threatened to escape her lips when she saw her boyfriend’s name splashed across the cover accompanied by an image of Harry locked in battle with Voldemort, which she knew had to have been taken from a memory. A quick read of the note revealed that Luna’s father had sent her complimentary copy on the request of their mutual friend, who she knew she would be thanking for thinking of her.

“Is that what I think it is?” Hermione asked, having caught a glimpse of the cover.

“Yes, it is,” Ginny replied with a huge smile on her face. She quickly opened up the magazine to the correct page before propping it up in front of her, so the cover was on full display to those around her.

The article was certainly not one that you would have expected to read in The Quibbler, but it was definitely proof of Xenophilius Lovegood’s journalistic skills. It was far more detailed than Ginny had been expecting, going far beyond the simple interview Harry had given a couple of months ago. He had taken the time to investigate the location where Voldemort had regained his body, while publishing photographic evidence of the damage within the graveyard that could have only come from the use of Dark magic. What surprised Ginny the most, however, was the fact that he had not tried to connect Harry’s story to one of his more outlandish theories. He had, instead, provided a straightforward piece with evidence to back up his words.

“What do you have in your hands, Miss Weasley?”

Ginny looked up to see Professor Umbridge standing directly behind her and the majority of the Gryffindors staring at her. It seemed she had managed to get people’s attention, just like she had hoped.

“A copy of The Quibbler, Professor,” Ginny answered as sweetly as possible. She carefully closed the magazine and showed Umbridge the front cover, knowing full well that it would cause a reaction. It only took a few seconds before it was ripped from her hands.

“How dare you bring material like this into the school!” Umbridge cried, causing silence to fall upon the Great Hall. “The lies this so-called publication prints are dangerous and unsuitable for children.”

“Well, given that Harry Potter is still a child, and he was the one to give the interview, wouldn’t that suggest it is suitable for us to be reading?” Ginny responded, despite knowing she was probably going to end up in detention for talking back.

“The boy is lying! Why he has chosen to come out and repeat the lies of your headteacher is beyond me. It only serves to show the dangers that come from magical children being home schooled. It seems that you have also not learned your lesson about spreading dangerous lies and will be serving detention with me for the rest of the week. Longer if the message does not sink in.”

Ginny knew Harry would not be happy to hear that she had found herself in detention again and facing the use of the Blood Quill. She just hoped that it would mean that Sirius would be able to move forward with having the toad-faced teacher removed from the school before she could cause even further harm to the students and their education.

“Ginny, you promised you wouldn’t provoke her anymore,” Hermione whispered furiously when Umbridge walked away and out of the Great Hall. “How do you think he is going to react when he finds out what you did?”

“Well, Hermione, I think he may just be happy,” Ginny replied, unable to keep the smug grin off her face.

“Oh, you so know he will be mad,” Ron protested.

“He won’t be if Umbridge does what I think she is about to do.”

“And what will that be?” Hermione asked inquisitively.

“I am surprised that you haven’t figured it out. She is going to make it so the students will want to read the article, because they will want to know why she is bothered by an article that has nothing to do with anyone here at this school.”

Ginny watched the reactions on her brother and friend’s faces. Ron was confused, though she could see he was trying to figure it out for himself. Hermione, however, appeared to quickly make the connection.

“Oh, that is brilliant, Ginny!” Hermione exclaimed the moment it all fell into place for her.

“Can someone please explain it to me?” Ron pleaded.

“She’s going to ban anyone from reading The Quibbler,” the older witch replied as though it explained everything, which in Ginny’s mind, it did.

“By banning it, it will just make the students want to read it,” Ginny carefully explained to her brother. “By them reading it, more people may just start to believe the truth about Voldemort being back.”

“That is… bloody brilliant,” Ron replied as understanding washed over his face. “Oh, this will end up driving her mental. She has ended up playing a prank on herself!”

The laughter that spilled from the trio’s lips caused many people to look their way, but Ginny didn’t care. Professor Umbridge had just made sure the truth was getting out to as many people as possible and she knew Harry would be delighted when she told him what had happened.

HP&GW

Harry walked into the kitchen, the next morning, excited to tell his dad about what had happened yesterday at Hogwarts. He had been angry to discover that his girlfriend had ended up in detention once again but delighted at the same time to find out that many students had been talking about the confrontation between her and Umbridge while expressing a desire to get their hands on a copy of The Quibbler.

“Morning, Dad,” Harry said as he walked into the kitchen before freezing in shock at the sight before him. He was unable to see the tabletop as the entire length of it was covered in unopened letters. “Why do we have so much post, this morning?”

Sirius looked up with a gleam in his eyes and a wide smile on his face.

“This,” he answered as he gestured to the post before him, “is the response to your interview.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. While he had been warned that people may just write to him to express their feelings on what he had revealed, he had not thought it would be on such a massive scale.

“How did these letters pass through our wards?” he asked, knowing most of their post now went via Gringotts to be checked for anything untoward. Only a handful of people had expressed permission to send post directly to them.

“These still went through the processing system at Gringotts, Harry,” Sirius explained. “Thankfully, only a small number of letters contained spells and curses. A pair of goblins personally delivered this pile of letters around an hour ago. I wanted to ask them to throw away any more letters, but that meant risking other post not getting to us that we do want to receive. So, there is a chance that more may come over the next few days.”

Deep down, he hoped that every single letter would reveal that the writer believed him, but he knew that was a far-fetched thought. Some would be from people who would refuse to believe anything that had not been confirmed by the Ministry. The problem was that he was scared that most of the letters would fall into that category, and he didn’t think he would handle being told he was a liar.

“Whatever they say, Harry, you know the truth and that is all that matters,” Sirius told him when Harry didn’t respond or move. “And you don’t need to respond to any of these letters, whether it be to defend yourself or thank them for their support. You have said your piece and they do not need a response, even if they want one.”

Harry nodded in acceptance, knowing his dad was right. He had done his part by making sure the truth was reported and all he could do now was hope that people would sit up and take notice. There was nothing he could do if no one chose to believe him. He suspected many of those people would need Voldemort to walk right up to them before they did, and it wouldn’t matter that they finally knew the truth because they would be killed immediately.

Taking a seat, Harry took the first letter in his reach and opened it. As he pulled the parchment from the envelope, he noticed something else fall out onto the pile of unopened mail. Ignoring whatever it was for the moment, he focused on the words from a witch who had refused to believe the truth when Dumbledore had originally announced it. A smile spread across his face as he learned that his interview had now convinced her of Voldemort’s return and that she believed him to a true hero for facing the Dark wizard.

“OH!” Harry gasped in surprise when he turned his attention to what had fallen out of the envelope.

“What do you have there, Harry?”

Harry could only hand over the photo of the witch to his dad, too shocked by what he had seen. Unfortunately, Sirius found the whole thing funny.

“I suspect that there may be a few more of these types of letters in there,” he told Harry once he calmed down. “Some of these witches will have been delighted to see an up-to-date photo of you and probably find you attractive.”

“But they don’t know me,” Harry protested as he shuddered at the thought of these witches thinking he was attractive. He dreaded to think what Ginny would say if she knew he was receiving these types of letters and all because of one interview.

“If you are worrying about what Ginny is going to think, then I am going to tell you to stop. She won’t care that these witches are sending you inappropriate photos, because she knows that you only have eyes for her. You have done from the moment that you rescued her from the Chamber. So, stop worrying and start reading!”

“Can you help me, then?” Harry pleaded, knowing he would be stuck there in the kitchen all day otherwise.

They spent the rest of the morning going through the post, reading each letter that Harry had received. His dad had been right about him receiving more photos from witches, including some that had come from women old enough to be his mum, and also from a couple of wizards. The rest of the letters varied between believing him about Voldemort having returned and thinking that he had completely lost the plot and belonged in the long-term ward at St. Mungo’s. He had been disappointed to read that many people did not believe him, stating that the Ministry would never go as far as to deny something that was important to be shared with the wizarding world.

“You will never convince everyone, Harry,” his dad had told him when he read yet another letter calling him a liar. “Many witches and wizards follow the Ministry without question, no matter who has the power.”

Harry knew he was right. He could only hope, however, that those that did believe him would speak up against the Ministry and plead with them to face the truth. The problem was that Harry suspected it was going to take something much bigger for the Ministry to finally believe that Voldemort was back.

It seemed fortune was on Harry’s side as he discovered the next morning when the Daily Prophet arrived shortly after breakfast.

“Front page,” his dad said as he threw the newspaper onto the table for Harry to look at. “That will explain that brief flash of pain you had last night.”

Harry sat down, annoyed at the reminder that he had let Voldemort through his shields the night before. Thankfully, it had only been for a brief moment as he had quickly forced the Dark wizard out of his head. Taking a look at the front page, he quickly understood the feeling of glee he had caught a glimpse of the night before.

“These people are the Death Eaters that were missing the night he gained back his body,” Harry stated, not needing his dad to confirm the truth. He didn’t bother reading the profile of each of the nine wizards and the one witch that had been broken out of Azkaban by Voldemort, he already knew who they were and what they had done. Instead, he went straight to the statement that had been given by the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

“You have to be kidding me!” Harry spat out in disgust. “How can he continue to deny the truth now that this has happened? He has no one he can pin it on. He certainly cannot blame Wormtail because the Ministry never found out where he had been hiding before he escaped the country. Does he honestly believe that people are going to fall for a story about an Auror gone rogue?”

“They don’t, Harry,” Sirius said with a slight smile on his face. “I had a message from Kingsley this morning. The entire Auror department refutes the idea and Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head Auror, intends on making a statement to reveal the truth of what happened to the public.”

Harry felt a sense of relief flood through his body at hearing that he had the backing of the entire Auror department. Maybe this would be what would help the Ministry do what was right and be more prepared for when Voldemort finally moved out into the open.

“I have also been asked to go into the Ministry to confirm the names of the Death Eaters you and I both saw that night,” his dad continued as he placed a plate of food in front of Harry. “I don’t want you near the Ministry, right now, so Remus is going to help with your schooling this morning.”

Harry nodded in acknowledgement as he tucked into his breakfast. He was grateful for being kept from having to go into the Ministry and speak about the events of the previous June. While his dad had never shielded him from the truth or facing any situation no child should face, he had taken on the role of speaking with the Aurors after Harry’s kidnapping. It had helped that Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks were a part of the Order and therefore aware of the full story without the need to speak to Harry directly. Then again, Sirius had been present at the graveyard, so was able to supply the requested names.

HP&GW

Sirius stepped out of the fireplace and into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. He brushed off the soot before he began walking towards the end of the large hall to where the lifts were situated. Looking around, he was not surprised to see it was busy, it usually was. However, today, there was a small crowd gathered around the Fountain of Magical Brethren, which people were continuing to join.

As he neared the crowd, it became obvious that they were protesting about the position the Ministry was taking in regard to the return of Voldemort. It pleased him to see that Harry’s interview and the news of the Azkaban breakout was having the impact that Harry had hoped for. Hearing them call for the removal of Fudge as Minister made his walk through the Atrium much more relaxing than he had been expecting. Everything was beginning to fall into place.

His eyes were torn from the crowd as he bumped into something.

“I suggest you watch where you are walking, Black.”

Sirius found himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

“I’m surprised to find you here, Malfoy,” Sirius said as he took a step back. “I didn’t think you would have wanted to be seen in public after the article that was published yesterday.”

“Now, why would I want to hide when the article was just a bunch of lies?” Lucius retorted with a challenging look in his eyes.

A smile slowly spread across Sirius’ face. Given where he was heading and what he was about to do, he did not feel remotely threatened by the man who stood in front of him.

“I would advise that you do go into hiding, Malfoy. I am on my way up to the Auror Office, which has requested that I come in to confirm the names of everyone who was present the night Voldemort regained his body. I think we both know just who one of those people was.”

The reaction Sirius hoped for did not come. Malfoy remained calm in the face of the warning.

“I have some advice for you as well,” Malfoy responded. “Actually, it is more your son.”

This was not the response Sirius had expected. He knew he wasn’t going strike fear into the heart of the man, but he had hoped to at least make him feel nervous.

“Tell your boy that he will not be able to protect those he loves for much longer if the Dark Lord is successful,” Lucius told him quietly, wary of the people walking past them, “especially that red-headed girlfriend of his.”

Sirius froze in shock, unable to respond. How did he know about Harry’s relationship with Ginny? They had kept it secret to avoid Voldemort using the relationship against Harry. He didn’t know how it had been discovered but he knew he was going do everything he could to protect Ginny. The girl was now the most important person in Harry’s life and there was no way he was going to let anyone get their hands on her to use against his son.
Reviews 76
ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter




../back
! Go To Top !

Sink Into Your Eyes is hosted by Grey Media Internet Services. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & 2001-2006. Harry Potter Publishing Rights J.K.R. Note the opinions on this site are those made by the owners. All stories(fanfiction) are owned by the author and are subject to copyright law under transformative use. Authors on this site take no compensation for their works. This site 2003-2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Special thanks to: Aredhel, Kaz, Michelle, and Jeco for all the hard work on SIYE 1.0 and to Marta for the wonderful artwork.
Featured Artwork © 2003-2006 by Yethro.
Design and code 2006 by SteveD3(AdminQ)
Additional coding 2008 by melkior and Bear