Chapter 6: The Rat
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts, Somewhere in Scotland
Albus Dumbledore was not enjoying his summer break. Not a month ago, he had fully expected to have Harry Potter finally return to the wizarding world and his first year of Hogwarts. Somehow, though, everything had fallen apart. Years of careful planning and machinations completely obliterated by the boy in very short order. Albus Dumbledore would not accept it. He would not allow the only chance the wizarding world had at vanquishing Voldemort, to fall outside of his control, but it seemed pointless.
Just earlier that morning, shortly before the will reading of Sirius Black, the Headmaster had flooed over to the Burrow and spoke with the Weasley's. Dumbledore explained to them about Harry and the young Gabrielle, and he also made it quite clear to them that the two children must be carefully taken care of and watched over. They must be guided so that they would remain steady in the light, and follow Dumbledore's wisdom.
Arthur and Molly both seemed overjoyed at the prospect. They both loved children, and plainly admitted that they would consider an honor of the highest regard to raise the son of two of their close friends, along with his bondmate. Arthur and Molly also argued heavily against taking any money for taking Harry and Gabrielle in, but after much persuation, Albus was able to convince them that they already had enough financial troubles, and that without help, they would hardly be able to afford the two children. They both disliked charity very much, but in the end, they knew that it would be necessary if they were to be able to take proper care of Harry and Gabrielle.
After he left, Albus Dumbledore apparated straight to Gringotts, hoping to catch Harry and Gabrielle as they arrived to deliver the good news. His plans were finally starting to piece back together. By placing them with the Weasley's, Dumbledore would be sure that they would remain firmly in the light, and he would be able to keep a close eye on the two of them. After all, the Weasley's had trusted firmly in Dumbledore for several years, and they were among the biggest blood traitors known. It was perfect. They would instill into Harry, as they had with the rest of their children, the fierce belief in family, love, and doing what was right, and that would make it all the easier for the Headmaster to guide Harry in what he must eventually do in order to destroy the final Horcrux, paving the way for Dumbledore to reassert himself as the leader of the light by vanquishing Voldemort once he was mortal again.
Along the path, there had been losses on both sides, and necessary sacrifices. Dumbledore regretted the Potter's fate, and the fate of Sirius Black. He knew, of course, that Peter Pettigrew was the only one the could have possibly betrayed the Potters, and it was a terrible price to pay for Dumbledore's mistake. Dumbledore should have known better. They had all known that there was a spy in their midst, but most had believed it to be Remus Lupin. Sadly, the Potters and Sirius Black, and even Dumbledore himself had made that fatal error of judgement against the man. Although Lupin had battled with his curse since he was a little boy, he had never once shown any anger or hostility towards anyone who misjudged him for it.
The fate of Sirius Black was also sealed that night. Nobody could know that Dumbledore was losing his touch and was misjudging people, which he had very rarely ever done before. Dumbledore prided himself on his legilimency skills that he deployed constantly in order to learn more about people, but he never once noticed the surefire signs and signals that, looking back, Dumbledore cursed himself for missing in the first place. If only he had paid attention, Peter Pettigrew had done many things that would have clearly labeled him as the spy. But it was too late by then to save Sirius, who had gone after Peter and cornered him in a muggle alley full of people. Knowing that he could not allow his misjudgements come to light, Dumbledore himself gave evidence that Sirius Black was the Potters' secret keeper, and Sirius was sent to Azkaban for life without even a trial. All was well, the old Headmaster thought. Sirius being imprisoned even gave him the opportunity to change the Potter will, and by doing so, make himself the magical guardian of Harry Potter. It enabled Dumbledore to place Harry with whoever he deemed fit, in order to reach his own goals, and protect Harry until the time was right. It would have been much more difficult if Sirius had raised the boy. Harry would have grown up knowing all about magic, and more than likely inheriting his father's and Sirius' skill at pranks and magic. Harry would have grown up like a pampered prince, but Dumbledore couldn't allow that. He needed the wounded hero, starved for love, that would gladly sacrifice everything, including himself, for his friends and those he loved.
He was there to see that his plans didn't fall apart completely. Dumbledore watched silently as Harry and Gabby entered Gringotts and walked towards him. They didn't look too happy to see him. It was hard to tell if he could ever salvage any sort of relationship with the boy, but he must try. The pain and anger that Harry directed at him made the old man regret doing some of the things that had to be done, but hadn't he tried to figure out another way? Hadn't he used all of his resources, exhausting every option, in order to find a way to save the boy? In a way, Albus saw himself in the boy, when he was young, and he found himself caring for Harry Potter more than he should. It was a horrific fate, that which Albus must guide the boy to eventually, he himself had given the date for Voldemort's return, but there was no way around it.
As he sat in his office later on, mulling over the less than satisfactory reactions and replies that Harry and Gabrielle had given him, Dumbledore cursed himself. He had made too many mistakes! He had allowed Harry to find out many things that should have been hidden from him until he was of age. Harry was too young, and not ready to bear the responsibilities of a Head of House, but there was nothing to be done now. Harry was now officially Lord Potter, and according to Dumbledore's information, he may be the Heir of more than one other house, but that was still unconfirmed. The goblins were very secretive lately when it came to Harry Potter, and only a very select few were privy to any information regarding him. 'What is going on there?' Dumbledore thought to himself.
Looking at his calendar, Dumbledore sighed. Tomorrow was September 1st, and perhaps a few of his questions would be answered at Platform 9 3/4. It was not easy to convince Cornelius to accompany him, but when he mentioned that it was by Harry's request, Fudge gave in. Now, all he had to do was wait, and wonder what Harry was planning next.
Diagon Alley, London
Harry and Gabrielle had spent the last several hours with Lupin in Diagon Alley. So far, they had managed to talk him into getting himself a small house in Hogsmeade, courtesy of the real estate agent that they had luckily run into. They had also convinced him to buy himself a new trunk and a broom, neither of which were nearly as shabby as the ones he already had. Before deciding to have dinner at a small place they had found off to the side of the alley, Harry, Gabrielle, and Remus dropped by Madam Malkin's to have Remus fitted for some new robes.
Madam Malkin smiled at them as they reentered her shop later on, just after dinner. Remus was hanging back a bit, as Madam Malkin had shrieked at the sight of his robes when they had first entered earlier.
"Just a moment, Dears. I am just finishing up with another customer," she said sweetly as she handed a wrapped package to a witch that Harry and Gabby had, until then, failed to notice.
Narcissa Malfoy stood up and turned around to head out the door, but when her eyes focused on Harry, she gave a squeal and jumped back. "Lord Black! Oh, please excuse me. I must get these robes to my husband," she said hurriedly, trying to push past them to leave.
Harry didn't fail to notice the fear in her eyes, nor the small bruise on the side of her neck. "Narcissa, I have been waiting for your decision. Do you wish for me to annul your marriage and come under my protection?"
Narcissa's eyes flashed and she gave an uncertain look at Gabby, who simply clung to Harry's arm and watched as Remus checked his new robes before paying for them. "What makes you think that you can protect me? I saw the fear that my husband has of you, but if I left, he would hunt me down. You don't know what he and his friends are capable of. You don't know what I am capable of. Just look at the son I gave birth to. I have given him all the love and care possible, but he's even worse than his father, I fear. No, I can't take your offer. I've done horrible things since I have been married to that man. I don't deserve forgiveness."
"It's not your fault that your son is that way," Harry replied. "It is his own choice to follow in his father's footsteps and regardless of what you have done, the offer remains. It sounds like you have plenty of regrets, and you will have to live with those for the rest of your life, but if you are truly willing to change and try to do better, then you are worthy of forgiveness and a second chance. But you have to forgive yourself first, how else can anyone help you?"
Narcissa wiped a tear from her eye. "You remind me a lot of Sirius. He would say things like that. He always believed that we didn't have to live the way our parents did. Sirius believed that we could make the choice to turn away from it, and that we would be safe, but look at what happened to him. People are not willing to forget the past and forgive and when my son becomes the monster his father is, they will hate me even more for it, just for giving him birth."
"Cissy." Remus' voice startled both of them, causing Gabby to give a very unladylike giggle.
Narcissa looked wide-eyed at Lupin. "Remus," she said slowly, as if not believing that he was there.
Remus, who had been quite happy during the last sveveral hours, looked deeply upset now. "Cissy, what happened to you? The Cissy I knew had a fire in her that would never be put out. You would have never shown fear or weakness to anyone, much less allow them to control you."
Narcissa turned her face away. "I got married, Remus. I waited a long time for you to ask me, but you never did. My parents ended up signing me away to Lucius Malfoy, and my wedding night is probably the only time he ever treated me like I mattered. After I gave him an heir, he started passing me around to all of his death eater buddies. He barely ever touches me other than to hit me anymore. Lucius has always preferred his witches young, normally around fifteen to seventeen. He usually keeps at least three to use as concubines at the manor. He beats them as often as he does me, just to show them what would happen if any of them tried to escape."
Remus looked furious. His features looked more wolfish now more than ever, and the growl that emanated from deep within his throat spoke his thoughts loud and clear. "Cissy, take Harry's offer, please," he begged her, growling through gritted teeth. "Don't keep putting yourself through it, we can help you. Please Cissy, let me protect you. I just got myself a new house, and you can stay with me. It's not much, but I will be there, and before long Sirius should be there too, according to Harry. I don't quite understand everything from the story that he told me, but he told me enough for me to place my complete faith in him, regardless of his age. Please let him do this for you. I won't let anything happen to you, if you will just trust me."
Narcissa was a mess. Madam Malkin had pulled a chair up and helped her into it. By now, all around her eyes were red and puffy, and she wiped her tears away with a white and pink flowered tissue. Looking up into Remus' eyes, she appeared to be very surprised. "Really? Sirius will be there? How? How can you still love me, after all these years? How can you, or anyone forgive me for the things that I've done?"
Remus sighed, getting on his knee next to her. Taking her hands in his, Remus looked up at her and replied. "I don't know how Harry plans on saving Sirius, but I believe in him. And I never stopped loving you, but I didn't think that it would be right for me to be selfish and have a life with you. Think what it would have been like, knowing my condition. I would have never been able to support you, and if we had ever had children, it would not have been fair for me to pass my curse onto them. Anyways, what is there to forgive? You blame yourself for the things that your husband and son have done, and will very likely do in the future. You can't blame yourself for who you are. Look at me, people have done that very thing to me most of my life, but I don't let it get to me. If I did, I would be miserable, blaming myself for something I have no control over. No, your are responsible for noone's choices and actions except for your own. There will always be those who look down upon you and blame you, but you must ignore them and rise above that. I have held myself back from many things that I have wished to do, only to prevent myself from causing problems with those around me, but that isn't necessarily the right thing. Only whenever you hold yourself back in order to do the right thing, and for the safety of others, as I have often been forced to do, can you truly see the prejudice for what it really is."
By the time Remus had finished speaking, Narcissa was in tears again and leaning forward into his shoulders. Catching Harry's eye, Remus nodded. "I think I finally won her over." Harry nodded.
Taking the cue, Harry stood directly in front of Narcissa and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I, Lord Harry James Potter, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, hereby annul the marriage of Narcissa Black, on the basis of violation of contract. I also hereby declare that the full wedding dowry paid to the House of Malfoy for said marriage, be returned in full within 72 hours, or face the punishment under wizarding law. I so swear it. So mote it be."
A second later, the flashes of magic confirmed it, and another two flashes went out from Narcissa and one from Harry, heading for both Lucius and Draco.
"Harry," Remus began. "Do you think that I could meet you both at the Burrow? I think that Cissy and I could use some time alone. I want to get her to our new home, and try to get her calmed down and comforted. It was a big deal, what she just went through."
"Of course," Gabby answered for Harry. Harry gave Gabby a look, but she smiled. "Come on, Harry. I know that blokes don't usually understand feelings and things like that so can you trust me on this?"
Harry looked startled. Taking her hand, he wrapped Gabby in a hug. "Love, I understand it full well, and I will always trust you with anything. I'm still getting used to you speaking up on some things, please forgive me for it. I don't mind, it was just unexpected, that's all."
Gabby blushed and settled herself into Harry's arms. "Well, Dear, shouldn't we get going now?"
Harry looked at his watch and smirked. "Probably. Are you sure about this, Remus?"
Remus, who hadn't been paying attention to them, looked up and nodded.
Right before Harry apparated himself and Gabrielle away, Gabby put her hand on Narcissa's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was seemed to comfort the older woman, and she appeared visibly less tense.
The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole
A few seconds and two silent pops later, Harry and Gabrielle appeared just outside the wards to the Burrow. Looking around, Harry noticed that they had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry and Gabby gazed at the Weasley's house. It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the groundnear the entrance read, The Burrow and around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Gabby watched in amusement as several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard, while a few others were being chased by garden gnomes. The gnomes were small and leathery looking, with large, knobby, bald heads exactly like potatoes, laughing gleefully as they ran after the chickens.
They didn't get much more of a chance to look around, however as a redheaded figure that Harry recognized as Ron, approached them. Harry's heart leapt. It had been a long time since he had seen his best friend.
"Hello," Ron said. Ron looked just the same as he had when Harry had first met him. 'At least some things don't change' Harry thought to himself. Ron was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. "You must be Harry. I'm Ron. Ron Weasley." He extended his hand towards Harry, who took it and shook firmly.
Looking at Gabby, Ron blushed. "And you are Gabrielle?"
"I am," Gabby replied, unphased by Ron's reaction to her. Harry on the other hand, recalled Ron's reactions to Fleur, and made a mental note to keep a very close eye on his old friend when Gabby was around. He might not mean to, but Ron couldn't always control himself, even when the veela allure was held to a minimum, as Gabby almost always preferred.
"Well, Mum told me to keep watch for both of you and another bloke named Remus Lupin," Ron said.
Not missing a beat, Harry replied, "He will be meeting us here. Something else came up that he had to take care of first."
Ron nodded. "Alright. You can both follow me in. Everyone is meeting in the kitchen. Mum has been cooking all day and it smells really good in there."
Ron turned and walked back into the house and Gabby, after a nervous glance at Harry, who nodded encouragingly, followed him in, keeping close to Harry's side. The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, with Gabby perched atop his lap, looking around.
Gabby looked curiously at the famous Weasley family clock. The clock was on the wall opposite them and had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! As Harry watched Gabby look around, the old radio next to the sink announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."
Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, was clattering around the kitchen in a frenzy. The kitchen did indeed smell heavenly as she was hurriedly finishing up several things for the feast. Mrs. Weasley seemed to have conjured up a sumptous feast, that included many of Harry's favorite things. The small table was piled high with roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, bread rolls, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, and ketchup. And for desert, Mrs. Weasley had whipped up one of her mouth watering treacle tarts. Both Harry's and Gabby's mouths watered as they gazed at all the food. Harry was surprised that the table didn't give way under the weight of so much food, but it just creaked and held up steady.
Glancing quickly at Harry and Gabrielle, Mrs. Weasley smiled at the hungry looks in their eyes. At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a short, baby blue blouse and long, matching skirt, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.
"Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley in an undertone to Harry. "My daughter. She's been talking about you all day, since her father told her what he had done. She's been confused ever since. She yelled at him for nearly two hours, but she has a real crush for you, and it is interfering with her feelings about being forced into it." Mrs. Weasley glanced over at Ron, who had coaxed a teary Ginny back into the kitchen. "Poor dear, she's been crying again."
Harry felt bad. He had always loved Ginny like a friend. Gabby gave him a look and moved from his lap to the chair next to him. "Harry," she whispered so that only he could hear her. "Do something. You are probably the only one who can make her feel any better."
Harry sighed, knowing that it was true. Getting up, Harry went to Ron and Ginny, and looking at Harry, Ron nodded and took the seat right beside Gabby and smiled at her. Gabby, looking uncomfortable, inched her chair slowly and smoothly away. Ginny, on the other hand, looked panicked as Harry took her hand and hugged her, whispering quietly into her ear. "Ginny, come on. It's okay. Come sit down with me so we can eat. We can talk this over later, or now if you want, but please don't be afraid of me. Whether we like it or not, we are in this together."
Ginny looked stricken at him. "Y-you don't like it? You're mad?"
Harry sighed and squeezed her gently. "No, I'm not mad. But I don't believe that anyone should be forced into something like this. I would rather get to know the real Ginny, the way you really are. And I would rather you get to know me and love me for who I am, not some fairy tale. Do you think we can give it a shot? I promise that if you decide not to, I will do everything in my power to break the contract, so that you won't be forced into something that you don't want to do."
"Really?" Ginny asked quietly, hope shining in her brown eyes as she looked up at Harry, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. "You would do that?"
Harry looked at her quizzickly. "Do you want me to?"
Ginny had a confused look, as if she was warring with herself. "No! Well, I don't know. I would rather get to know you first. But I still don't want to be forced into it. If I do marry you, I want it to be because it's what I want, not because of some contract my dad signed."
Harry looked relieved, and he glanced over and Gabby, who was watching interestedly. Harry also noted, with a certain degree of anger, that Ron was doing everything he could in order to gain Gabby's attention, and had also scooted his chair closer to hers. "I would like that too, Ginny. But there is something that you have to know. Gabby and I are bonded for life and this contract isn't the only one that I will be forced to fulfill. Of course, I would happily get to know you and love you for who you are, and marry you because of it, but could you do the same for me, knowing that I will be forced to have more than one other wife?"
Ginny looked downcast, her normally bright eyes dulled. "My mother already explained to me about it, and she also explained how you feel about it, and that there really isn't anything you can do to change it. If there's any chance that we can grow to love one another, and be together and happy, then I'll take that chance. After all, like my mother said, you aren't the type of person to mistreat one of your wives, or treat them any differently, just because you have so many. She told me that you would always be there for me and take care of me, and that you would always treat me equally and love me."
"And I will, Ginny. Please believe that," Harry replied.
For the first time that night, Ginny gave Harry a genuine smile. "I do, Harry."
"Well then," Harry chuckled. "Shall we take our seats and enjoy the dinner?"
Harry sat back down, and Ginny, after looking at Gabby, who nodded encouragingly, promptly took Gabby's spot on Harry's lap.
"Love," Harry whispered into Gabby's ear. "How about you trade places with us? I don't like the way Ron is acting with you, and I don't want you to continue feeling uncomfortable."
Gabby just shook her head and whispered back. "No, I have a present for him if he tries anything. Don't worry, Love. I can take care of myself, you know. But I'm glad to know that you care."
Smiling, Harry answered. "Of course, always and forever, Love." Turning, Harry gave Gabby a kiss on the cheek, and seeing Ginny's look, gave her one too. Ginny, being unused to it, blushed deep red, down to the roots of her hair, her face looking like the setting sun.
Ron, however, was not so pleased. In fact, he looked extremely jealous. "What are you doing kissing Gabrielle, Harry? You can't cheat on my sister! Did you see that mother? How can you allow that?"
Mrs. Weasley glanced up from the stove, over at Ron. "Ronald, that is none of your business, but suffice to say, Harry is engaged to marry both of them. It is not like he has much choice in the matter. For that matter, Ginny, have you thought of a suitable punishment for your father yet?"
"Yes, do tell, dear Ginny." Their heads turned towards Fred and George, who were just now entering the kitchen, followed by Tonks and her mother.
Ginny grinned evilly. "No. You'll just have to wait and see."
Just then, the twins caught sight of Harry, whose lap Ginny was still perched on.
"Blimey," said Fred. "Are you?"
"He is," said George. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.
"What?" said Harry.
"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.
"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am. How did you know?"
The twins both grinned. "Ginny has been talking about you all day. She's been really anxious, knowing that you were going to be here for dinner tonight," Fred answered.
"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," George said with a grin. "But it looks like she's already got more than that from you."
The twins gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning as red as Ginny was at the particular moment.
"Dear, Ginny," Fred began.
"What do you have up your sleeves for your father?" George asked.
Ginny gave them both a glare before turning her nose up. "Not telling," she replied, with an mischievous grin.
"Besides," Gabby interupted, giggling. "Harry and I have a few ideas to give Ginny, and Harry gets to be the angel of vengeance."
"Oh, dear," Fred said.
"Merlin save us," George continued.
"From Harry Potter," Fred said.
"Who doesn't even know any magic yet!" they both finished, grinning broadly.
Mrs. Weasley glanced over at her sons. "Then tell me, Fred, George, why Lucius Malfoy was terrified of the boy."
Tonks, who was sitting in between Fred and George, laughed. "Yes, do tell. Imagine it, Lucius Malfoy, terrified of a defenseless, underage wizard, who doesn't even know any magic!"
As Tonks cracked up, Fred and George stared in awe at each other, and at Harry.
Looking at Harry, Fred asked, "Is he really?"
Not waiting for an answer, George replied. "Nahh, it can't be true."
"Oh, it's true all right. I saw it myself," Mr. Weasley said as he entered the kitchen, followed by Remus and Narcissa. Mr. Weasley looked better the worse for wear. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. Tonight, he was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.
Remus, on the other hand, no longer looked ill and exhausted, the way he normally did. Though quite young, his light brown hair was still flecked with gray. Normally, he could be seen wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. But not tonight. Tonight, he was wearing brilliant, silver robes that highlight his wolfish features and his eyes quite well. Gabby had picked them out for him earlier that day. The hem and trimming of the robes was pure black, and the robes themselves were made of a rare Peruvian silk. And on his arm, was Narcissa.
"Hey, I know who you are!" George yelled, pulling out his wand.
"Remus, that's Lucius Malfoy's wife! What is she doing here?" Fred asked, also pulling out his wand.
Narcissa took her seat next to Remus, and looked down at the table sadly. "I told you people would take it like this."
Remus patted her on the back and hugged her. "Now, now, Cissy. Give them a chance. How can they know what happened earlier? I'm sure that Harry and Gabrielle waited for us to tell them ourselves, after all, that would have been the polite thing to do."
"Fred, George, put your wands away this instant," Mrs. Weasley snarled.
The twins hastened to obey their furious mother. For a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.
"That is no way to treat our guests," Percy said pompously, as he strode into the kitchen, last to arrive. He had a shiny, silverbadge gleaming on his chest with the letter P on it.
"Why did you have to wear that thing, Percy?" Ginny asked.
The twins looked at Percy, and at his badge.
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said Fred, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said George. "Once -"
"Or twice -"
"A minute -"
"All summer -"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy as he took the last seat next to Bill, who had entered the kitchen unnoticed.
"Come now, dears. It is time to eat," Mrs. Weasley said fondly as she looked around at everyone.
Throughout dinner, there was chatter as everyone made casual conversations with each other. Gabby and Ginny were talking a mile a minute, Harry noted. The pair looked as if they would end up being great friends. Mr. Weasley, however, kept glancing nervously back and forth between the pair and Harry. Catching his eye, Harry smirked.
Mr. Weasley leaned over towards Harry. "Harry, do you know what my daughter has in mind to do with me?"
Harry looked at him. "No, I don't have any idea, yet. Gabby and Ginny seem to be pretty amused by their ideas though. I'd watch out if I were you."
Mr. Weasley went red and Harry grinned. Harry had overheard a few of their ideas, but little did they or Mr. Weasley know, Harry had already implemented a few of the more comical ones.
"That's right, Mister," Gabby said as she grinned at Harry. "You better keep your mouth shut."
"Yes, Love," Harry replied, leaning back in his chair with Ginny still on his lap. He was going to enjoy this.
As Harry watched Mr. Weasley gather his dishes to get up, Harry counted down to himself. '3... 2... 1... ahh.'
Harry, and the rest of the people in the kitchen, watched the transformations as Mr. Weasley was petrified, and literally anchored to the ceiling with chains around his ankles holding him in place. If it wasn't for a quick diffindo, cast by Harry to cut off the ends of his robes, they would have missed his ears growing at an alarming rate until they were long, pointed, and with long pink hair poking out of each one. None of them could miss they way Mr. Weasley's eyes darted in terror around the room though, as they had swelled enormously, with long eyelashes that came to the tip of his now, six inch long warty nose, that also had pink and yellow hair coming out of each nostril. As they watched, it looked like Mr. Weasley was bending over as his back began to pop out in wierd little humps, and his feet began to swell and lengthen. After a moment, his toe nails were about a foot long, cracked in places, and poking out of his boots. His hands had copied his feet, and not one of them failed to notice the red, flowery polish on each nail.
Harry watched on in amusement as he cast the dreaded bat bogeys curse that was a favorite of Ginny's, just to add flare to the angry red boils that had popped out all over Mr. Weasley's body. After a moment, Harry didn't think that he should have mixed the two spells, as in addition to the bat bogeys, Mr. Weasley's face also began to sprout tentacles and he grew a long, orange, fluffy tail.
"Now, just one more touch," Harry said with a broad, evil grin. The twins looked over at Harry in horror.
"What are you going to do?" Fred asked.
"Whatever it is, remind us never to get on your bad side, Harry," George said as he glanced at his father in awe.
Harry whipped out his wand, and said calmly, "Tarantellegra."
Immediately, Mr. Weasley's legs began to dance a wild jig.
Looking over at Gabby and Ginny, they were both wide eyed in shock, with tears of laughter streaming down their faces. As they came out of their shock, they looked at Mr. Weasley once more, then each other, before breaking down into hysterical fits of laughter.
Percy, however, did not look so pleased. He looked on in a very disapproving way before getting up and marching out of the kitchen.
Remus, Narcissa, and Andromeda each said nothing, but they all looked on, each with a small grin at the antics.
"Harry," Remus said chuckling softly. "Well done. You would have made your father proud with that one."
Harry could help but to feel a small surge of pride at the compliment, even if all he did was enact the ideas. "Don't give me the credit," he replied with a small smile. "Gabby and Ginny have been running over ideas all dinner. I just played a few of them out for your enjoyment."
A wierd sound caught everyone's attention. Looking over at Tonks, Harry noticed her eyes bright with tears of mirth, and she had transformed her nose into the trunk of an elephant and was blowing it loudly at Mr. Weasley, much to the delight of Fred and George, who were cheering her on heartily.
"Now, now. that is quite enough," Mrs. Weasley said, looking up at her husband with a look of grim satisfaction. "Yes, I think you have learned your lesson, haven't you, Arthur?"
"He can't answer, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said merrily. "He's petrified."
"Well, how long do you plan on keeping him that way, Harry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked him softly.
Gabby and Ginny both smiled as Harry gave them a sideways glance.
"Oh, just until I'm sure dad has learned his lesson," Ginny answered her mother before Harry could reply. "I think until the spell wears off and he falls off the ceiling should be just long enough, don't you think?"
Harry thought that Mrs. Weasley was going to demand him to release her husband, but was stunned when she gave her daughter an encouraging smile, before grinning cruelly up at her husband.
"Whatever you think is best, dear. I think your father has earned it," Mrs. Weasley answered as she looked fondly at her daughter. "Ron, go clean yourself up."
Rons ears went pink. Until that moment, he had been staring up at his father, slack-jawed, and failed to notice that he had squirted pumpkin juice out through his nose, and all over himself and the rest of his dinner. Red faced and embarrassed, Ron quickly jumped up and ran out through the kitchen door, and up to the bathroom to clean himself up.
"Ginny, would you like to show Harry your room?" Mrs. Weasley asked her daughter quietly as she picked up her dishes. "I think that you and he should try to get to know each other a bit before he goes to Hogwarts for his first year. You won't be able to see him much until next summer."
Ginny's face lit up. "Sure!" she replied, grabbing Harry's hand and jumping up off his lap. "Harry do you want to come see my room?"
Harry looked at Gabrielle, unsure of what to do. He knew Ginny, and trusted her, but Ginny didn't know that. She had no way of knowing anything from the timeline that Harry had come from. Harry also had to contend with the fact that Gabby seemingly approved of him getting to know each girl that he was contracted to, but that still didn't make it any easier. Harry would rather die than to hurt or betray his Gabby, and she knew that. Still, Ginny was in this too, and there was nothing that Harry could do about it. He would have to learn to live with it and make the best of it. Neither one of them had a choice, or much of one for that matter, but that didn't mean that they had to allow it to control them and make them miserable. Harry had enough problems to make his life difficult, without having to deal with the added stress of forced relationships. All in all, Harry and Gabby had both agreed that it was for the best for everyone involved, including themselves, that they give it a chance, and see where things led. Who knows, it could be a blessing in disguise.
Ginny noticed the look that Harry gave Gabby, and it stung. Here he was, the Boy-Who-Lived, but Ginny found herself attracted more to the person than the legend that she had thought him to be. Harry seemed to be very easy going, but not at all open about his past. He seemed to be the type that you had to gain his trust before he opened up, but once you had it, you had it to the full.
Secretly, Ginny was glad in her heart about what her father had done. It warmed her in knew ways, thinking about all her dreams coming true when she married Harry Potter one day. True enough, she hated the thought of a marriage contract, but without it, who knows when she would have finally gathered the courage to get to know Harry, and be herself around him. Her father had given her a powerful reason to do it, and she silently thanked him for it. Whatever they went through together, Ginny vowed to herself that she would always be there for Harry, and be honest with him. She would never betray him. Ginny had noticed the haunted, faraway look that Harry got whenever he stared off into space. The others failed to notice it, save for Gabrielle, who Harry seemed to be entirely in tune with.
It was wierd at first, but Ginny was already beginning to get used to it. Maybe it was the magic behind the contract at work, but she didn't know. What she did know was that Harry and Gabby seemed to be able to tell exactly what the other was thinking and felling, without ever saying a word. 'How can I compete with that? That bond that they share connects them on a deeper level than he and I are likely to ever reach.' she thought to herself. 'Come on, Weasley. Get a grip. This may be your only chance.'
Gabby nodded at Harry. "Go up wth her Harry. I am sure that you both have a lot of things to talk about."
Harry gave her a concerned look and stayed firmly in his seat, while ginny was still holding his hand. "Are you sure, Love? I mean, this isn't easy for me, and I can't imagine it being any easier for you. I don't want to hurt either of you."
Gabrielle sighed. "I'm sure, Harry. I know that you love me; I can feel it. But you need to do this, if not for yourself, do it for me, and for Ginny. Remember she's in this as much as we are."
Harry smiled slowly and let out his breath before allowing Ginny to steer him towards her room.
Seconds later, they slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Ginny blushed as she went into her room.
"Sorry, my room is a mess," she said as she sat down on her bed, watching Harry look around her room in amazement.
The walls of her room were baby blue, with white and yellow flowers adorning the wallpaper. For some reason, it was exactly what Harry had imagined a young girl's room would be. Next to the window, looking out towards the back yard and Quidditch pitch, was her bed. 'she must have been more upset than I thought,' Harry thought to himself as he noted the now dry tear stains on her white, flowery pillowcase. At the foot of her bed was a small, antique desk with little on it besides a lamp and a quill. Her closet was wide open, and revealed how organized she liked to keep her things. Finally, beside that, was a stand that had three shelves, each addorned with stuffed animals and more than one book that was either about Harry, or had him mentioned in it.
Ginny watched Harry quietly before breaking the silence after a couple of minutes. "Harry, you don't want this do you?"
Harry looked at Ginny sadly as tears welled up in her bright brown eyes. He also watched as she wiped her vibrant red hair out of her eyes as she continued to gaze up at Harry. Harry sat down. "It's not that, Ginny. I do like you, but you have to know that it wasn't my choice to be in this situation in the first place. I'll be honest. you're going to be beautiful one day, and a real prize for whoever is lucky enough to have you love them. But how can either of us be sure that it will be me that you fall in love with? What happens if you fall in love with another bloke, but you're forced to marry me? Nobody should have to go through that. I don't want you or any other girl to ending up getting hurt on my behalf. You deserve the right to choose for yourself who you spend your life with. And even if you do choose me, how can I possibly satisfy the needs of so many girls at once? How can I make you all happy, without treating you any different or better than the others?"
Ginny was shocked, but happy. She barely realize that she had been holding her breath. Ginny was terrified that Harry was going to reject her, and leave her to suffer whatever consequences came with breaking the contract between them. If she was honest with herself, she was also terrified that he would reject her, believing that she wasn't good enough for him. After all, he could probably have any girl he wanted and he already had Gabrielle. How could poor Ginny Weasley possibly compare with a beautiful, rich veela? How could he ever love her?
Ginny smile and thought to herself. 'Was this all that Harry was worried about? That I won't love him? Or that he won't be able to make me happy and treat me right? Silly boy!'
"Harry, I know that it is my choice, but I want that chance with you. I'm not going into this because some marraige contract tells me to, I'm doing it because I want to get to know you. Who knows? We're both still young, and we have seven more years until we have to decide. In the wizarding world, girls are old enough to marry when they turn sixteen, you know. We have plenty of time to get to know one another and be together."
"But what about the other girls?" Harry asked her, looking directly into her soft brown eyes.
"Harry," Ginny began, carefully choosing her words. "I'm a girl. I might only be ten, but I still understand the way a girl's mind works. Any girl that decides to take the chance to get to know the real you, and marry you for love, instead of some stupid contract, will grow to understand. Look at Gabrielle. You truly seem to love her, and want to make her happy. You would never do anything to hurt her, and you are always there to provide for her and protect her. What else could a girl want? You may not always have the time or energy for all of us, but we will understand. We will know that you love us each equally for who we are, and that you chose to get to know us, and listen to our feelings and our fears, instead of using the contracts to force youself on us. No matter what you think, that alone would make any girl love you. You really are a great wizard, Harry."
Harry looked at her in astonishment. "You're amazing, Ginny. I mean, Gabby has tried to explain it to me, but I've never understood it until now, the way you put it."
"Nothing against her, especially since I already like her a lot," Ginny replied, grinning. "but Gabrielle is veela. Veela are naturally submissive to their mates, and she wouldn't necessarily understand the feelings involved, having never actually experienced them herself to the fullet extent. It's just not in her nature."
"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said softly, leaning in to hug her tightly, just before a loud CRASH was heard from the kitchen, followed by Mrs. Weasley's furious shriek.
"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!"
Harry gulped. Mrs. Weasley had yelled Ron's full name, and that was NEVER a good sign. Looking at each other, Harry and Ginny both darted for the door and leapt down the stairs three at a time.
When they got to the kitchen, they saw, quite clearly, what had made the crash. Ron was lying unconscious against the wall next to the stove, with a rapidly swelling eye. and blood running freely down his nose. Mrs. Weasley looked furious, but was stunned speechless by an angry Gabrielle, who had, apparently, knocked Ron out cold.
"What happened?" Harry asked, causing them both to jump, along with everyone else, who had failed to notice Harry and Ginny reenter the kitchen.
Gabby's eyes and arms were still glowing a deadly, silvery blue, and her passionfire, as she called it, ran along her arms and chest as she looked at Harry and answered. "Ze nerve of zis boy!" she growled in hot fury. "'E 'ad ze nerve to say to me ze you already 'ave a girl, Ginny, and zat you don't need me. 'E 'ad ze nerve to snake his filzzy hands ozzer my zigh and squeeze me in ze most inappropriate of places. Eet eez less zan he deserves, I assure you."
None of them except Harry had ever heard Gabrielle speak with a French accent, and that alone told Harry that this was bad. Even Mrs. Weasley had the good sense to back away from the angry young veela.
Glancing back at Ron with hate filled eyes, Gabby continued. "If zat ees not bad enough, he called me a veela whore when I told 'im zat I love you and zat you love me. He told me zat I should go back to where I am wanted. He eez filth, slime. He eez not worzzy to kiss my feet."
Mrs. Weasley looked ashamed, and nearly as angry as Gabrielle, that her youngest son would dare do such a thing. Harry, though, was well beyond even that. Ron had been his best friend before he came back, and Harry knew all to well how Ron always seemed to want things that he could never have, especially when his jealousy got the better of him, which was often. Words couldn't describe the hurt and betrayal, the cold angry wrath that Harry felt. 'Get over it, Harry. This isn't the same Ron you knew. He doesn't even know you. The friendship you had with him is long gone, and he just destroyed any chance of rebuilding it.'
Harry took Gabby in his arms, giving her a comforting look and a slow, meaningful kiss, and she promptly broke down crying. Harry, however, was growing angrier by the second. Harry understood how Ron always felt that he was overshadowed by his older brothers, and by Harry, but that gave him no right or excuse to hurt Gabby the way he had. Raising his wand, he pointed it at Ron, but Mrs. Weasley spoke up.
"Harry, dear. Please take it easy on him, for my sake. I promise you that Arthur and I will punish him most severely and do everything in our power to make sure that he learns from it and never does such a thing to any girl ever again. I can't bear the shame that he has brought down upon our family. We never raised him to be like that," Mrs. Weasley begged him.
Mr. Weasely, and everyone else in the room, save for Gabby and Ron, looked at Harry grimly. Nodding slowly to Harry, Mr. Weasley said, "Do what you have to do, Son. I only ask you this. Let him live. Let him live so that we can try to fix whatever we did wrong that would cause him to think that such disgusting actions are acceptable. He has never done anything like this before, and we need to know what was going through his mind and why he did it."
Harry spoke slowly. "I know why. He has always been extremely susceptible to the veela allure, even at a minimum, but that is no excuse for his actions. Gabrielle can't be blamed in any way for what he chose to do of his own free will. It merely lowered his inhibitions, and made his jealousy plain to see. He wanted her, and tried to get her. Now he gets to pay."
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both looked confused. Hadn't Harry and Ron just met? But they said nothing.
Raising his wand towards Ron, Harry said "Rennervate."
Coming to, Ron noticed where he had landed, and looked up around at everyone. Catching Harry's furious gaze, he gulped.
"Do you have anything to say to defend yourself, Ron? Or should I just assume that you had every intention to sexually harass my Lady?" Harry growled angrily. He stared down at Ron, his eyes blazing as he dared him to accuse Gabby of something that they both knew she was innocent of.
Ron gave Gabby a fierce, scalding look. "I don't have to answer to you. She is just a veela whore. Nothing I do to her will even matter. Besides she-," but whatever he was going to say next was cut off by his bloodcurdling scream as Harry stomped on his ankle, and ground his foot into it, shattering several bones instantly.
Obviously, the Drakul blood in Harry enhanced his strength even more than he had previously thought, seeing as he hadn't meant to do that much damage. 'Oh well. This is even better,' Harry thought to himself as Ron squirmed on the ground in pain, looking as if he was going to pass out again.
"Uh uh, no passing out, Ron. You are going to feel every ounce of agony you deserve for treating my Lady like nothing more than an animal. You could never be good enough for such a wonderful person, and I'll be buggered if you ever so much as think of hurting her again," Harry muttered as he cast a spell to keep Ron conscious.
"What did she ever do to you, hmm? She just met you earlier tonight. And since then, you have continually tried to push yourself onto her, even when all the signals she sent you told you no."
Ron laughed insanely. "What makes you think she had to do something to me? We deserve payment for letting such a creature in our home, and I know just how she can pay us. She's a veela. She's not good to be treated like anything except an animal. If she's lucky, I'll let her warm my bed after I'm done with her."
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Ron have possibly changed so much? Even in their fourth year before they came back, Ron didn't have nearly enough confidence to attempt such a thing with any girl, no matter who they were. There was no way in hell that the Ron he knew would ever treat anyone with such contempt, or have the views that he apparently now had about veela. Listening to Ron, Harry was growing angrier by the second, and he gave his wand a flick, muttering "Glacius Cuspidis."
Immediately, a spear of ice flew from the tip of Harry;s wand, impaling Ron's entire left leg to the floor, as everyone else looked on in horrified silence.
Looking up in pain, Ron shrank back from the poisonous, emerald green eyes that stared coldly back at him. Ron felt the cold chill of death run down the length of his spine. Suddenly, the room began to spin around him, and he found himself chained to a wall, in a pitch black room. Terrified, he looked around, but saw nothing.
"Welcome." Harry's voice came from somewhere in the darkness, and a chair appeared in front of Ron.
"Where are we?" Ron asked, looked around terrified.
Harry gave him a solemn look. "We are in my mindscape. Right now, your mind is trapped within my own. Within this torture chamber I devised, solely for my enemies. You are my first guest. This is my world, my rules. Here, I can do anything to you, while your body is still lying on the floor. Here, I am god. And don't worry about how long we are going to be here. Time means nothing here, and one hundred years of agony for you will pass by here before I let you go. When I do, not even a second will have passed in reality. It's all in your mind Ron, but you can't escape it. Let's begin."
There was a short, awkward silence, as Harry and Ron each gave the other a look of utmost loathing before they went quiet. Not two seconds later, though, Ron began screaming at the top of his lungs, and he was sweating and panting heavily, looking terrified at the very site of Harry. Scrambling to get away, Ron tripped on his own, impaled leg, falling flat on his face. Everyone except Gabby looked utterly confused.
Gabby, however, looked at Harry in horror. Harry, looking grim, nodded silently at her unspoken question, and she knew what he had done. Harry had once told her of the powerful technique that Merlin had taught him. It allowed Harry to trap a victim within his own mindscape, where time meant nothing. He could inflict any type of magical, physical, emotional, or any other type of pain conceivable to the victim, torturing them for literally forever if he chose, and no time would fly by in the outside world.
"How long?" Gabby asked quietly.
"One hundred years," came the quiet reply. "I made sure not to allow him to go insane, although if he had actually endured it in reality, no spell could have kept him sane after the first three hours."
Gabby's mouth opened and closed silently, while everyone else was even more confused. Sighing, Harry cast several healing spells on Ron, making him physically, good as new. Still, he was saddened by what he had been forced to do. Harry was able to do nothing to heal the mental, emotional, and psychological trauma that he had inflicted on his old friend.
"Are you ready to go, Gabby?"
Nodding silently, Gabby followed Harry to the front door.
Just before they walked out, Harry turned and sighed. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I am sorry. I sincerely apologize for bringing conflict into your home, especially after you so graciously welcomed us into your home. I didn't know that us coming here would cause such problems, and I apologize for it having happened in your home."
Mr. Weasley spoke up, putting a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder and looking down at him kindly. "Harry, son. It's not either of your fault. The question is, will my son be alright?"
"That's hard to say right now. Physically, he is perfectly fine. But he will never forget what happened to him. No memory spell is powerful enough to wipe away the memory. After all, one hundred years is extremely hard to make someone forget. I'd say give him a day or so, and he should be back to normal. That is, with a powerful fear of Gabby and me. Only his thoughts of hurting her or another girl should trigger and unlock the memory. If he doesn't, then the spells that are cast with the technique I used should keep the memory sealed permanently. Ultimately, it all comes down to him, but if he suddenly starts screaming and gets that crazed, tortured look, you will know that he was thinking about hurting another girl that way."
Mr. Weasley nodded sadly. All the rest of the Weasley's, and also Remus and Narcissa, stared in awe. Andromeda and Tonks had left as Ginny and Harry went up to her room.
Hand in hand, Harry and Gabrielle walked out to the edge of the wards and Harry silently apparated them to their room. Lying down in each other's arms, they were both out like a light.
Platform 9 3/4, King's Cross Station, London
Harry sighed as he and Gabby gathered up the last of their belongings, and packed them away. It was September 1st, and Harry was looking forward to being back at had been his first home in the wizarding world. He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomach ache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes, the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world.
Looking over, Harry watched as Gabby coaxed the phoenix that she called Selene into a magnificent silver and golden cage, which sat next to Hedwig's cage, which was an exact duplicate of the cage Selene was now perched in.
Gathering Hedwig's cage and their trunk, Harry wrapped his arm around Gabby, who was clutching Selene's cage in her hand, and apparated them to the King's Cross Station.
According to the large clock over the arrivals board, Harry and Gabby had a solid thirty minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts. Harry was glad that they were so early, seeing as he had business to attend to before the train departed.
Looking around and seeing only muggles, Gabby gave Harry a questioning look. Explaining to Gabby how to get on the platform, Harry showed her where it was and said, "You go first, just in case. That way I'll be here if you don't manage it. Confidence is the key. Just walk straight at the barrier, nothing to it. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. "
Nodding, Gabby looked excited and strolled purposefully towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. A second later, she disappeared.
Now Harry walked briskly towards the barrier and with a meaningful look at the train that had just arrived at platform 9, Harry leaned casually up against the barrier dividing platforms 9 and 10.
In a moment, he had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three- quarters and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. And just ahead of him, Gabby was looking around in awe.
"Harry, my boy!" Dumbledore's voice was heard over the crowd, and excited students and parents shouted and pointed at the Headmaster as he made his way through the crowd towards Harry and Gabby, closely followed by Cornelius Fudge.
Honestly, Harry couldn't tell which one looked stranger as Fudge had rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, and was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, an emerald tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler hat. Dumbledore, on the other hand was wearing long starry robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles.
"Good morning, Headmaster, Minister," Harry said quietly as Gabrielle stood next to him. "Minister, can I introduce you to my Lady Gabrielle?"
Fudge bowed to Gabby and took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "My pleasure to meet you, young Lady. And you, Lord Potter," he said, looking down at Harry.
"I see that news travels as fast as always. It's a wonder the daily prophet hasn't got hold of it yet," Harry replied.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, I daresay that they will likely come out with a story on it very soon. But first, we have business. Why exactly did you want us both here today?"
Harry, who had been watching the Weasley's, including Bill, who had a grim expression, arrive, answered, "I believe that you will find out soon enough, Headmaster. Now, would you do me a favor and ask Ron to examine his rat, Scabbers. Any reason you give should be fine, I have already set the neccessary wards around the platform while you were speaking to prevent his escape."
Cornelius Fudge's face darkened, and he looked at Harry skeptically. "Prevent who's escape?"
Harry replied. "In a moment, you shall see. If you do not see him for yourself, Minister, then you will not believe a word I say, and you will refuse to admit the Ministry's mistakes in condemning an innocent man to prison."
"Now wait just one moment," Fudge cried angrily, but was cut short as the Weasleys pushed forward in the crowd towards them.
Catching Bill's attention, Harry asked him quietly, "Are we ready?"
Bill nodded and answered, "Yes, I will guard the barrier and dad is with Ron. As soon as Dumbledore takes him from Ron to examine him, dad will pull Ron back, out of danger."
Harry nodded grimly. "Good. Then we are all set."
And with not a second to lose, Harry noted as Dumbledore approached Ron and Mr. Weasley.
Ron gaped at Dumbledore as he approached. "Hello, Arthur. And this must be your youngest, Ron."
"Yes. He will be starting his first year at Hogwarts this year," Mr. Weasley answered, patting Ron on the back.
Ron went pink, and Scabbers peaked his head out from the top of his shirt.
Keeping his eye on Scabbers, Dumbledore reached out to shake his hand. "Well, we will be very glad to have you at Hogwarts, Ron. Which House do you think you will be in?" said kindly.
Stuttering, Ron replied. "Gr-Gryffindor, Sir. Just like the rest of my family."
Dumbledore gave his best grandfather smile and said, " I see. I believe that you will make a fine addition to Gryffindor. And may I examine your rat, please? If I am not badly mistaken, I remember that your older brother Bill, who was Head Boy, and a fine student, had one exactly like it."
Ron took Scabbers out of his pocket and held him out to Dumbledore, who took him carefully. "His name is Scabbers. Bill gave him to me after he left Hogwarts."
"Did he now?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "Then I daresay that this rat has been holding out on us. To live that long, he must have some sort of magic powers. Has he ever shown signs of any?"
"N-No, Sir."
"Then let's examine him closer. Arthur, if you will." Mr. Weasley, taking the cue, quickly pulled Ron out of the way as Harry, Gabby, and Dumbledore each drew their wands. Seeing this, Fudge pulled his wand.