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SIYE Time:14:55 on 29th March 2024
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Black & Red
By CharmHazel

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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: 30486; Chapter Total: 1989
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Thank you to Arnel for your brilliant editing skills! (Edited - 2/8/2021)




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Ginny stared at the room in awe. Everything that they could possibly want to learn, and for practicing new spells safely, had been provided. The room was spacious enough to not only hold the number of people who would be in attendance, it was also large enough that everyone could split into pairs and duel at the same time. Multiple shelves of books lined one wall, which Ginny guessed would provide even more information than they had even thought to think of. While another wall had shelves full of Dark Detectors, something she knew she would investigate another time. There were cushions, Duelling Dummies and other items she had yet to even look at. The Room of Requirement was certainly the right name for the room.

“Wow!” Ron said in awe, breaking through Ginny’s own amazement. “This room is incredible.”

She turned to see her brother and Hermione standing just inside the door, both with the same expression she was certain had been on her face when she had first walked in.

“How has no one ever found this room?” Hermione enquired. “I mean they must have in the past, but the fact it isn’t common knowledge is astounding. To be able to request a room that meets your needs is something I would have thought everyone would want to know about.”

“Then, we wouldn’t have such easy access to it,” Ginny noted, pointing out the flaw in the older witch’s suggestion. “I doubt it would be used in the same way we plan to use it either.”

Hermione blushed at Ginny’s suggestion.

“How are you feeling about tonight?” Ron asked, choosing to ignore what his sister had said.

“I’m nervous about how people will react to me teaching them,” Ginny admitted honestly, “but, I am also excited about this group happening right under Umbridge’s nose and she doesn’t even know about it!”

Just days after the meeting at the Hog’s Head had happened, Umbridge had taken advantage of her position as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor to force through a new educational decree about student organisations, clubs and groups only being allowed to meet with her approval. Ginny had decided immediately that it would not deter her from helping her fellow students and made it clear to everyone who had asked her that the group would still be going ahead. Thankfully, all of those who had been at the meeting had agreed to attend the first meeting.

Over the next several minutes, people began to arrive in small groups, having been warned to do so to avoid suspicion. Ginny noted that Hermione was discreetly taking attendance before she gave the redhead a nod once everyone was present.

“Now that everyone is here,” Ginny said once the students had settled down, “I think we should get started. Before we begin the practical side of things, are there any questions or things we need to cover?”

“Yes,” Hermione called out as she raised her hand. “I think we need to elect a leader and choose a name for the group.”

A murmur of agreement came from the group of students as dread washed over Ginny. She was going to be named leader even though she did not want the job. She was happy to help teach what she knew, but she didn’t want the pressure she knew would come from leading the group. Somehow, though, she knew she wouldn’t be given the chance to refuse it.

“I have an idea for a name,” Ginny said in hopes of distracting everyone from the discussion of who should be the leader. Something Harry had said to her the other night had sparked the idea. “What about Dumbledore’s Army?”

“Why that name when Professor Dumbledore doesn’t know of this group?” Cho Chang asked.

Ginny held back the smirk that was threatening to cross her lips. She had found out from Harry that the headmaster was very much aware of the meeting they’d had in the Hog’s Head and of their plans to meet without Umbridge knowing. Harry said Dumbledore had been impressed by Hermione’s ingenuity.

“Well, the reason Umbridge is here is to undermine the headmaster,” Ginny explained with no plan of mentioning the conversation that had given her the idea. “Fudge is convinced that Professor Dumbledore is planning something to oust him as Minister. Essentially, an army created by the headmaster would be Fudge’s worst nightmare. They don’t need to know that Dumbledore had no part of any of this.”

“All in favour of Dumbledore’s Army?” Hermione asked.

Every hand shot up into the air.

“Dumbledore’s Army it is, then,” Hermione declared, “and, Ginny can be our leader.”

“Agreed,” Ron said, backing up the older witch. “You have the most experience and understanding with what we are facing. Plus, you have had additional training that puts you in better position to lead us.”

“Traitor,” Ginny muttered under her breath before turning her attention back to the group. “I think we should stop talking and start practicing. I want to start with a basic, yet important spell, tonight. There will be times when it is best for you to do enough to give yourself a chance to run and escape. One of the best ways to give you that chance is the Disarming Charm “ Expelliarmus.”

“Seriously? ” Zacharias Smith questioned as he rolled his eyes. “How will that help us against any Death Eater or even You-Know-Who?”

“From what I have been told, Harry Potter used it against Voldemort in June,” Ginny stated firmly and calmly. She held back what she actually wanted to say, but she knew she would be revealing too much about that night.

Harry had told her that their spells had met, causing Priori Incantatem. It had been emotional to hear how he had seen his parents appear from Voldemort’s wand, but they had given him the time he needed to escape and reach Sirius, who had immediately whisked him away from the graveyard.

“If anyone here feels that the spell is one that would not be useful, then, please, feel free to leave.”

No one moved or spoke.

“Good,” Ginny said. “Now, let’s split into pairs and practice the spell.”

HP&GW

Harry stared at the package that his dad had just placed on the kitchen table. While he had never been one of those kids who would rush to open their birthday and Christmas presents, this time he desperately wanted to know what was inside. All he knew was that the package had come from Professor Dumbledore, who had sent it with his phoenix, Fawkes.

“How much longer are you going to be, Dad?” Harry called out, hoping he would be heard.

“Since when have you been impatient, Harry?” his dad replied as he walked into the kitchen, carrying what looked like a stone basin.

“I’m just eager to find out what Professor Dumbledore has sent us,” Harry said as his eyes were drawn to the basin that had now been placed next to the package. It was covered in a selection of runes and symbols, some of which Harry recognised from his Ancient Runes studies. “What is this?”

“It’s Pensieve,” his dad said as he took a seat opposite Harry. “It is used to view memories, something we shall be doing ourselves in a little bit. Before we get to that, however, I wanted to ask if you know how the first meeting of the defence group went?”

Harry beamed as he thought about the conversation that he’d had with Ginny the night before. The way her eyes had lit up as she had told him about Dumbledore’s Army was enough for him to know that it had been a success and that any previous reservations that she’d had about teaching were now long gone. He was certain this group was going to be just as good for Ginny as it was for the students who were learning from his girlfriend.

“It went better than expected,” Harry answered. “One person doubted the need to learn the Disarming Charm, but she quickly put an end to that protest. Otherwise, she said everyone worked hard practising the spell. Ginny said that not everyone managed to perfect it, but she was really pleased with the progress they made in the first lesson.”

Sirius didn’t fail to notice the way his son’s eyes lit up as he spoke about his new girlfriend. In all honesty, he couldn’t help but notice how much of an impact Harry admitting his feelings for Ginny had had on him. Harry was working harder than ever before with a new determination. Sirius was certain that Ginny had given his son something to fight for and a reason to not only defeat Voldemort, but to survive. Sure, Harry had been determined to do that before he had fallen for the redhead, but there had never been a true driving force behind it. Now, there was, and her name was Ginny.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Sirius replied, genuinely pleased to hear the first meeting had gone well. “Given the fact that the school cannot seem to keep a Defence teacher for longer than a year, this group will certainly help the students improve their skills. The Aurors have suffered because of the lack of candidates with the necessary skills and grades to enter the department over the last several years. I dread to think how that will bode for the fight against Voldemort and his minions.”

“Yeah, Ginny has complained about the constant change in teachers. She still thinks Uncle Remus was the best teacher the school has had in the last few years,” Harry said, wishing he could have been there that year to see his uncle teach.

“Yes, well, you know who is to blame for him having to leave the post,” Sirius responded. He was still angry with the Potions Master for revealing Remus was a werewolf to the school, something that had been blatantly done out of spite. “Anyway, moving on. You’ll be pleased to know I have managed to arrange an interview with the Quibbler for the end of the week. Xenophilius believes Dumbledore about Voldemort’s return and is happy to do his part to get the truth out there.”

“That’s brilliant, Dad!” Harry exclaimed happily. “Did you explain about how some of my memories of the event are still hazy?”

Even though it had now been a few months since Voldemort had regained his body, Harry was still unable to remember parts of that night. His kidnapping was a complete mystery to him, even if they had figured out that a cursed letter had helped to draw him outside of the wards. His first clear memory was waking up to find himself tightly bound to a tombstone with no idea as to how he had arrived there or where he was. He still didn’t understand how his dad and uncle had managed to discover where he was to rescue him, but he had never felt the need to question it because he was thankful that they had managed to find and rescue him.

“I did, but he wasn’t too concerned. He just said for you to be honest about what happened that night,” his dad confirmed before pulling the package from Dumbledore towards him. “However, until then I want to make a start on a new project.”

Harry watched as his dad unwrapped the package carefully to reveal a number of small glass vials that appeared to be full of white smoke. He couldn’t imagine why the headmaster would send something like that to them until he remembered that the Pensieve, which was sat on the table, was for viewing memories.

“Are these memories?”

His dad looked up and smiled, “Yes, they are.”

“Why has Professor Dumbledore sent them to us?” Harry asked, intrigued as to why the headmaster was not joining them for this conversation.

“With everything that is happening at Hogwarts, Dumbledore is not in a position to be able to leave. It would be too risky as it would invite questions from the Ministry about where he was going. So, he felt it was best if he sent what memories he had to us with the intention of us making a start on understanding what needs to be done to defeat Voldemort.”

Harry thought back to the conversation they’d had with the headmaster the day they had discovered the locket. He remembered Dumbledore talking about information he had acquired that would be essential, which Harry now assumed were the memories, but he had also stated he was missing one vital piece.

“Does this include the piece of information he was missing when we originally spoke to him?” Harry inquired.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t,” Sirius admitted. “It would seem the person he requires it from has gone into hiding and is constantly moving locations. That is one of the things I plan to work on. I may have a little more luck as they won’t be expecting me to be looking for them.”

Harry nodded in acceptance. He didn’t know what piece of information was missing, so he could only assume it was something that could wait for the moment. With Voldemort currently distracted by his need to get his hands on the prophecy, he wasn’t causing havoc in the wizarding world. Therefore, they needed to take advantage of this time to get several steps ahead of the Dark wizard.

“However, Albus did send us a false memory he had managed to retrieve from his contact,” Sirius continued.

“A false memory?” Harry asked, feeling very confused. “I didn’t think you could change a memory.”

“You can, but you have to be an expert in Occlumency to be able to accomplish that and not be found out. According to the note, this false memory is, thankfully, clear to see.”

“So, I take it we are going to watch all of these memories and…”

“As you know, Albus believes Voldemort made multiple Horcruxes,” his dad explained as he began pouring the memories into the Pensieve. “The number we still need to confirm, but these memories should help us determine to some extent the objects that may have been used and the places they may have been hidden. What I want us to do is create a timeline on Voldemort’s movements before we begin researching places we may need to search and objects we may need to find.”

Harry nodded, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the project and the realisation that he was finally beginning his journey towards fulfilling the prophecy. It was a huge task that had been set for him. He had to figure out how to make the so-called Dark Lord mortal and how to defeat him permanently. He was just grateful that he knew his dad would be with him every step of the way.

“Right, the memories are ready to watch. All you need to do is to gently place your face into the Pensieve. You will feel yourself pulled in, which won’t harm you. Once you are in the memory, you will not be able to interact with anyone and they will not see you.”

Harry stood and walked round the table, coming to a stop in front of the Pensieve. He could see the white smoke of the memories now swirling around in the bowl, ready and waiting to be watched. The idea that he was about to discover more about Voldemort filled him with dread, but, at the same time, his curiosity about how Tom Riddle became Voldemort was overwhelming. He leant over, gently placing his head into the Pensieve, and felt himself pulled into the memories.

HP&GW

Harry slumped down into the chair as he tried to process all the memories he had just seen. He thought he had been prepared for what he was about to learn, but he still felt shocked by what he had seen. In some ways, he felt sorry for Voldemort and wondered if he would have become a different person had his mother survived to raise him herself. He pushed the thought aside, knowing there was no way to change the past. He needed to focus on what he had seen and figure out what information would be the most important to their task.

“Are you ok?” his father’s voice came, breaking through his thoughts.

“Yeah, I think so,” Harry answered honestly. “I’m just a little shocked by what we saw. I don’t think I was expecting to find out that he had been a cruel person from such a young age.”

“That’s understandable,” his dad responded as he reached across the table to grasp Harry’s hand. “We can leave this for today if you want. It was a lot to take in and if you need time to process it all, then that is fine.”

“No, we need to discuss everything we saw, especially while it is fresh in our minds. I don’t particularly want to have to watch all those memories again.”

“Right, let’s start with a timeline,” his dad said as he grabbed the parchment and the quill he had placed on the table. “I want to include everything we know from his birth and all the way up to this past June.”

For the next few hours, the pair worked out a timeline of Voldemort’s life, while adding notable details they felt were essential to discovering where and what the Horcruxes were. Both Harry and Sirius also added additional information that they were aware of from their encounters with the Dark wizard over the years. Eventually, numerous pieces of parchment, all representing different years or events, were floating around the kitchen.

“Ok, so I think we can safely say that the ring and the cup are definitely Horcruxes,” Sirius said to his son as he took in everything they had accomplished. “We can research notable items that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, but I am at a loss for the final one. Nothing else in those memories stands out as something he would use.”

“What about the snake?” Harry said as he remembered the enormous snake that he had seen slithering through the graveyard that night. He also remembered that he had seen a snake in his vision over a year ago, one that had pushed his dad to make sure Harry had his Occlumency perfected.

“Snake?”

“The one from my vision last year,” Harry gently reminded his dad. “He called her Nagini and has a strange amount of control over her.”

Harry watched as his dad thought over what he had just suggested. He knew it was probably a far-fetched idea, especially given they had been told to look for objects and not living things as potential Horcruxes. Yet, there was something about Voldemort’s snake that just didn’t sit right with him, like there was much more to her than it appeared.

“I think it is something we should look into,” his dad finally replied. “It is a wild theory, but I want us to explore all avenues. However, finding Horace Slughorn is probably the most essential thing we need to do. We need to confirm the number of Horcruxes he was aiming to make.”

The fact that they needed to hunt down wherever it was Horace Slughorn was hiding was a concern for Harry. He didn’t want to drag out this war longer than necessary, but he was worried that finding this man would take too long. Yet, they couldn’t ignore the fact that speaking to him would confirm the most important piece of information they needed if they were to succeed.

“How are we going to find him if Professor Dumbledore hasn’t been able to do so already?” Harry asked, wondering just how anyone was meant to find someone who had hidden themselves so well.

“You let me worry about that,” his dad responded. Harry suspected, however, that he didn’t have a clue as to how to accomplish that, but he knew better than to say it. “For now, you need to concentrate on your schoolwork and the research I have set you. We’ll start with the books we have here and at Grimmauld Place before checking Flourish and Blotts. I may consider looking into us going to Hogwarts to use their library, but I don’t want to go while that woman is still teaching there.”

Even though it probably wouldn’t happen any time soon, Harry couldn’t help but smile at the idea of going to Hogwarts to use their library. If it happened during term time, then he could spend some time with Ginny. Admittedly, there were times he wished he had gone to Hogwarts and how different his life may have been just from attending the school. However, at the same time, he was happy being home-schooled and spending time with his family, something he wouldn’t change for the world.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Harry. I suspect if we do go, it won’t be until the summer holidays.”

HP&GW

Harry looked up the weirdly shaped house from the base of the hill where he stood with his dad. He was immediately reminded of a rook used in chess. It seemed oddly fitting for the man they were about to visit “ Xenophilius Lovegood.

As promised, Sirius had brought Harry to the Lovegood’s house to give an interview about the events of June that resulted in the return of Lord Voldemort. Harry had begun reading The Quibbler after Ginny had suggested approaching the publication about doing the article. Admittedly, he had found much of what was written about a little over the top, but there was no denying how passionate Xenophilius was about the topics he covered. Harry thought an article about the return of Lord Voldemort would fit right in as very few people currently believed the truth.

“Are you ready for this?” his dad asked as they started walking up the hill towards the door.

“As ready as I can be,” Harry said nervously. Being that he had been the one who had pushed for the interview to happen, he couldn’t believe how nervous he was now that it was actually happening. It wasn’t the fact that he had to talk about the events of June that worried him, but how people would respond to what he had to say. Would they believe him? Or would they accuse him of making outlandish statements?

On reaching the front door, Harry held back as his dad used the eagle-shaped knocker. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal one of the most eccentric looking wizards Harry had ever seen in his life.

“Mr Black,” the man said as he held out his hand to Sirius.

“Please, call me Sirius,” he responded as he shook the man’s hand. “This is my godson, Harry Potter. Harry, this is Xenophilius Lovegood.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr Lovegood,” Harry said as he, too, shook the wizard’s hand. “Thank you for agreeing to tell my story.”

“Of course. It is an honour to be asked. Please, come in.”

Harry followed his dad and Mr Lovegood into the house to discover a brightly painted kitchen. Everything, from the walls to the cupboard, had been painted with a mix of flowers, insects and butterflies. It was a little much for Harry’s taste and very overwhelming in such a small space. It certainly fit the image that he had of the man after reading The Quibbler.

The group climbed the stairs to the next floor to discover a much more cluttered space, filled with many books and magazines, plus the printing press used to print the publication. Harry’s eyes, however, were drawn to a bust of a witch that was dressed in a number of items that didn’t quite belong there.

“Mr Lovegood, may I ask about this bust?” Harry asked as he pointed to the item in question.

“Oh, yes, you may,” the man excitedly replied. “The bust is one of Rowena Ravenclaw that I personally created. I am trying to recreate her lost diadem and the magical properties I believe it had.”

Harry’s eyes immediately flickered to his dad’s, both recognising the importance of this discovery. They had yet to begin researching possible belongings of Rowena Ravenclaw and now they had just stumbled upon information that had potential to be of help to their search.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Harry said, causing Mr Lovegood to stop rambling on about Wrackspurts, a topic he had suddenly just started talking about, “but I have to ask, do you know what happened to the diadem?”

“Sadly, I do not,” Mr Lovegood admitted. “It has been lost for centuries. As far as I know, no one alive today has ever laid eyes on it. There is someone, though, who may know what happened to it.”

“Who would that be?” Sirius asked immediately, hoping it was someone they could easily contact.

“A ghost at Hogwarts, who is known as the Grey Lady.”

Harry noticed his dad’s eyes widen in recognition as he responded, “The Grey Lady?”

“Yes, her name is Helena from what my daughter tells me. She is the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.”

Harry knew immediately that they would need to go to Hogwarts to speak to this ghost. If she knew anything that could help them track down the diadem, then it was vital that they spoke to her. The only problem was that they could not visit the school when the Ministry was currently trying to take control of it. Therefore, it was something that would have to wait for a few months, but at least they had a starting place.

“Well, how about we get started on that interview?” Sirius suggested as he took a seat on one of the only available empty seats.

“Of course, of course,” Mr Lovegood said as he headed over to his desk to grab some parchment and a quill. “Mr Potter, tell me about the evening of your kidnapping?”

Harry took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Once he felt he had control of them, he began to speak.

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