"Thank you for bringing me here today," Dumbledore said softly, speaking to Harry. "It so happens that I have seen this particular rat up close before, just once. I don't know how this is possible, or how you knew, but we will get to the bottom of this."
As he spoke, Scabbers grew more and more violent. The rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Dumbledore's hand. His efforts were in vain as Dumbledore had a gentle, but firm grip on him.
Fudge was standing next to Dumbledore, obviously not realizing what was going on. But he listened intently to Dumbledore and watched Scabber squirm wildly. "Dumbledore, you're talking mad, man. What's gotten into you? Let the rat go, can't you see that it doesn't like you?"
Dumbledore didn't listen. Instead, he gave Fudge a serious look. "Cornelius, this is no ordinary rat. If I remember correctly, Ron's older brother Bill once told me that he found him what would be nearly a decade ago."
Fudge looked indignant. "I think not, Dumbledore. No common rat can live that long. Two to three years at the most, four maybe, but ten? Impossible!"
"It is as you say, Cornelius," Dumbledore said gravely. "I have seen this particular rat up close before, but without the missing toe. That, however, was nearly fifteen years ago."
Fudge's mouth dropped. "What are you saying Dumbledore?"
"Harry was right, you know," Dumbledore replied cryptically. "Neither of us would have believed whatever story he told us unless we saw this rat for ourselves."
"What do you mean?" Fudge was getting anxious.
Dumbledore was mumbling under his breath, not listening. "The biggest bit of him they found was his finger."
"Who Dumbledore? Who are you talking about?" Fudge exclaimed anxiously, but again, Dumbledore was paying no attention to the Minister.
"Of course," Dumbledore breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"
"Just before he transformed," said Harry.
Fudge's eyes bulged out as he listened to Harry, looking back and forth between Harry and Scabbers in a panic. A few people around them that had been eavesdropping gasped. "That's not possible. Peter Pettigrew is dead! There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," Fudge said. "A whole street full of them...Dumbledore do you realize what this could mean?"
"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Harry savagely, still watching Peter struggling in Dumbledore's hands.
"And it means, Cornelius, that we imprisoned an innocent man," Dumbledore said quietly.
"But Dumbledore... this can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "Why can't it be true?" he said calmly.
Fudge replied quickly, looking more and more panicked. "Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. Come off it, Dumbledore. We at the Ministry of Magic keep tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; the Animagi register shows what animal they become, and their markings and things...and there have been only seven Animagi this century. Pettigrew's name isn't on that list, Dumbledore."
Harry barely had time to register his surprise that Fudge knew these facts when Lupin started to laugh, stepping forward from the crowd.
"Right in one, Minster!" Lupin said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."
Fudge and Dumbledore both looked thunderstruck, and they both mouthed, "Three?"
"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," he said as he pushed his graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment then said, "Sadly, it all starts with me - with my becoming a werewolf," he said grimly, "Please forgive me, Dumbledore. In the end, I betrayed your trust, but here today you, and everyone, must know the truth."
"I have often felt very guilty about betraying your trust, of course... you admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and you had no clue that I was breaking the rules you had set down for my own and others' safety. You never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally."
Lupin's face had hardened, and there was self-disgust in his voice. "All these years, I have been debating with myself, wondering whether I should tell you what I had done. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed your trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me... and your trust has always meant everything to me."
Dumbledore looked on sadly, without saying a word, but Harry could see the disappointment in his eyes. "If what you say is true, that is an extraordinary achievement - not least, keeping it quiet from me."
"Anyways," Remus continued. "None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten... and if I hadn't been so foolish. I was a very small boy when I received the bite and although my parents tried everything, in those days there was no cure. The Wolfsbane potion is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform... I'm able to curl up somewhere, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again.."
"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me."
At this point Lupin gazed sadly over at Dumbledore, with a look of deep respect and admiration, shining in his face.
"But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason that I shouldn't be allowed to come to school..." Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry and Fudge.
"Not many people know that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. But even if they do know, very few realize the reason it is there. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. The shrieking shack, and a tunnel that leads to it were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled by Madam Pomfrey out of the castle, through the tunnel, to the shrieking shack, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone from coming across me while I was dangerous."
Fudge obviously couldn't see where this story was going, or why it had anything to do with Peter Pettigrew being an Animagus, but he had his attention focused solely on Remus, listening raptly all the same.
Everyone else on the platform seemed to be listening intently too, seeing as the only sound apart from Lupin's voice was Scabbers's frightened squeaking.
"My transformations in those days were - were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits."
Looking once more at Dumbledore, he continued, "You, Dumbledore. You encouraged the rumor, and even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers of Hogsmeade don't dare approach it..."
Remus smiled, looking around at the crowd of wizards and witches, and children, who were listening wholeheartedly to his story. "But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry - James Potter. We were inseparable. James Potter and Sirius Black, the two cleverest students in the school. Me, the studious werewolf. And Peter Pettigrew, who was always seen tailing after James and Sirius."
"Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. Oh, I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, in the end, they worked out the truth..."
The was a sharp intake of breath from nearly everyone on the platform. A little boy pulled on Remus' sleeve, who smiled down at him. "What happened then, Mr.?"
Remus smiled as the boy's mother gave Remus a terrified look and dragged him away, mumbling her apologies. "My fears proved to be unfounded. They didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."
Fudge, and nearly everyone else, looked astounded.
"Yes, indeed," said Lupin, laughing at the reactions he was getting. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. James and Sirius were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong. That is one reason the Ministry keeps such a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. But finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will. I was Moony. James was Prongs. Sirius was Padfoot. And Peter was Wormtail."
"Are you saying," Fudge asked slowly, "that this rat is actually Peter Pettigrew?"
"That is exactly what I am saying, Minister. After all, how many times have I seen him transform?" Remus answered quickly. "I have no doubt that this is Peter."
"Still," Fudge said. "Sirius was the Potter's secret Keeper. This just proves that Peter Pettigrew staged his own death in order to escape from Sirius Black!"
"What about the twelve muggles he murdered while staging his death, eh Minister?" Harry asked harshly, causing Fudge to go white. "Tell them the truth, Dumbledore, tell them what really happened, or I will."
Dumbledore's old, wrinkled face was downcast. At that moment, the old Headmaster looked every bit as old as he was. He turned towards Harry, his eyes pleading with him.
"Enough of this," said Harry, with a steely note in his voice. "Sirius persuaded my parents to change to Peter at the last moment. Sirius persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of himself. He thought that it would be safer, since Sirius would be the obvious choice, being my dad's best friend and his best man at his and my mom's wedding. The night they died, Sirius had arranged to check on Peter, to make sure he was still safe, but when he arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. Sirius set out for my parents' house straight away, but by the time he got there, it was already too late. And when he saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies, Sirius realized what Peter must've done... what he'd done..."
"Anyways, just before he transformed," Harry said . "When Sirius cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that Sirius had betrayed my parents. Then, before Sirius could curse him, Peter blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself - and sped down into the sewer with the other rats. Shortly after, he found a wizarding family, and ever since has been keeping an ear out, just in case, to catch on to any news concerning Voldemort, or his whereabouts."
There was a collective hiss and shudder from the crowd at Voldemort's name, which caused Harry to look at them all in disgust. "Now really, why do you all fear the name so much? That is what Voldemort wants. Fearing his name only gives him more power over all of you. I know better than anyone what he can do, but what use is it to give someone the power to terrify you with their very name? I say fear the man, and what he can do, not the name. Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself. Voldemort always prided himself on being extremely competent in being able to establish fear and distrust between people, including his own followers. Why would you let yourselves fall prey to that? Stand together, united, and as one you will be able to prevent the rise of more Dark Lords."
The crowd cheered Harry loudly, but Dumbledore gave him a curious look, as if barely seeing the person that Harry really was.
"There's one certain way to prove what really happened," Dumbledore said.
"What are you going to do with him, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked him tensely.
"Force him to show himself," answered Remus. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."
Dumbledore motioned for them. "Stand back, wand at the ready. We shall soon see if this is truly Peter."
Harry and Gabby, along with Fudge, had their wands out. Several of the witches and wizards around them were backing away, also with their wands out, gazing intently at the rat in Dumbledore's hands.
"Ready?"
Everyone nodded.
Prodding Scabbers with his wand, Dumbledore said, "On the count of three then. One - two - THREE!"
A flash of blue-white light erupted from Dumbledore's wand; and for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly before the rat fell and hit the ground. There was another blinding flash of light and then -.
It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; and a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Several of the cats that had been running around the platform were spitting and snarling at him.
Peter was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Gabby. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the appearance of a plump man that had been caught dead in the act. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at everyone, his breathing fast and shallow. Harry saw his eyes dart to the barrier and back again.
"Don't even think about it, Peter," Harry said dangerously, blood pounding in his ears as he pointed his wand at Peter's heart.
All around them there were gasps and screams. Fudge looked pale, and Harry, triumphant. 'Good luck trying to cover this one up, Minister,' he thought to himself happily.
Ron looked on in utter disgust, and Mr. Weasley urged him forward, onto the train, while helping him stuff his trunk in through the train's door and up the stairs to the cabins.
Peter appeared to be downright terrified. This certainly wasn't something that he had expected to happen. His cover was blown, but how? For ten years, he had been in disguise, and yet noone had recognized him. No one, until now, had known his secret. How then could this eleven year old boy know? How could he have revealed Peter, so magnificently, for the whole world to see? Looking up at Harry, fear etched every line of his face. "How did you know?"
"How I knew is none of your concern," Harry snarled. "My Godfather has spent the last ten years in a small cell in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit, and you framed him! We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night my parents died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around, trying to escape from Dumbledore's hands."
"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, looking up at Remus, who now had his wand trained on him. Harry could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you?"
"It certainly is difficult to believe any other reason for a man to want to spend ten years as a rat, much less a boy's pet," Remus replied, keeping his wand aimed at Peter's temple.
"I did it because of Sirius, he tried to kill me!" Peter yelled. "He killed Lily and James and he tried to kill me too. You've got to help me, Remus."
"How could spending ten years as a rat save you from Sirius? He has been locked up in Azkaban all this time," Remus asked. "Did you think that Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?"
"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "It's only a matter of time until he breaks out and comes after me again! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him loads of tricks."
"Voldemort teach Sirius tricks? You're mad," Harry yelled. Peter flinched as though Harry had brandished a whip at him.
Harry noticed him flinch. "Hah, that's brilliant. What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Harry. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"
"Don't know what you mean, Harry" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.
"You haven't been hiding from Sirius these last ten years," retorted Harry. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I've heard things recently Peter. They all seem to think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. They think the traitor double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information, and there Voldemort met his downfall. Not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty of them out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. I bet if they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"
"Don't know... what you're talking about...," said Peter again, more shrilly now than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Remus beseachingly. "You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"
"I must admit, Peter, this does explain quite a bit. Surely, if you were innocent man, you could have revealed yourself before now," said Lupin evenly.
"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Peter. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban. The spy, Sirius Black! You don't have any idea what they would have done to me had they found me."
Harry's face contorted in cold fury.
"How dare you," he growled suddenly. "Sirius, a spy for Voldemort? When did he ever see the need to sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than himself? But you, Peter. I'll never understand why my parents, or any of the others, couldn't tell you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be my dad. Him, Sirius, and Remus too!"
Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath. "Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a -"
"Don't give me that load of dung," Harry snarled, restraining himself with great effort from using his wand to hack Peter to pieces.
"My parents only made you their Secret-Keeper because Sirius suggested it," Harry hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "He thought it was the perfect plan, the perfect bluff. Voldemort would be sure to go after him. Voldemort would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you. Oh, it must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling your pathetic master that you could hand him the Potters."
Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he couldn't help paying more attention to the bone white, ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart towards the barrier separating the platform from muggle London.
"Believe me, Peter. Sirius never betrayed my parents. He would have died before he betrayed them."
Remus, who was now standing beside Peter, nodded silently.
Peter crawled forward and reached for Remus' robes. "Remus, it's me. It's Peter, your friend. Please you wouldn't -"
He was cut off by Remus ramming his fist into his jaw.
"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, writhing on the ground imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this. Wouldn't Sirius have told you that they'd changed the plan?"
"Not if he believed I was the spy, Peter," Remus growled, rolling up his sleeves. "Don't forget the stigmatism I have to endure for being what I am. He should have known better, but did they really have any better choice, other than yourself? Come on, even I could see that you would be worthless to Voldemort. What could he have possibly been able to use you for. No, I was the logical choice, and I forgive him for it. After all, in his shoes, I probably would have done the same."
"Well, Remus, shall we kill him together?" Harry said, as he too began rolling up his sleeves. "For Sirius."
"And Lily and James," Remus replied grimly. "Yes, I think so."
"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling along the ground towards him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry. He would have shown me mercy. I beg you not to do this."
Remus looked furious as he strode forward, seized Pettigrew's shoulders, and threw him backward onto the ground, near Dumbledore's feet. He sat there silently, twitching with terror, staring up at them.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Remus, who was shaking too. "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor and begging for his traitorous life.
"Remus, what could I have done? The Dark Lord... you have no idea what he is capable of. He has weapons you can't imagine. I was scared, Remus, I was never brave like you and Sirius and James. I never meant it to happen. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me -"
"Don't lie to me!" hissed Remus. "You had been passing information to Voldemort for over a year before James and Lily died! You were his spy, Peter!"
"He - he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Peter. "Wh - what was there to be gained by refusing him?"
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" insisted Harry, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter! My parents' lives. You are to blame for that. You admitted it."
"You don't understand!" whined Peter miserably, groveling on the floor at Remus' feet. "He would have killed me, Remus!"
"Then you should have died!" roared Remus. "You should have died, rather than betray your friends, just like we would have done for you!"
Harry and Remus stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised. Neither Dumbledore, Fudge, or the crowd behind them, seemed to be making any attempt to stop them. Indeed, most of them were as angry as Harry and Remus were and they were anxious to see Peter killed.
"You should have realized," said Lupin quietly, "that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."
Several mothers covered their young children's eyes as Harry and Remus raised their wands as one and a second later brought them swishing down, "Avada Kedavra!"
Just like that, it was over. Twin jets of green light, and the sound of rushing death as it sped towards Peter, hitting him square in the chest, and he was dead. As he fell to the ground, lifeless eyes still open, with a look of terror etched upon his face, more than a few people screamed.
Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 3/4, London
Harry glanced at Gabby behind him. She seemed oddly quiet, with a blank stare on her face as she looked down at Peter. "Are you alright, Love?"
Gabby didn't answer for a moment. At first, she thought that they were going to cart Peter off to Azkaban, and have Sirius released, but as the story unfolded, it seemed plainly obvious that would probably be too much to hope for, even if he recieved the Dementor's Kiss. What she hadn't expected though, was Harry doing the deed himself. She didn't think of him as a murderer, especially not considering what the man had done, but in front of all those people?
"Gabby, Love," Harry's voice whispered quietly so that only she could hear, jolting her out of her thoughts as his breath blew against her ear.
Gabby shivered, causing Harry to frown. "Are you alright, Love?"
She didn't look it, but she smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. It's just not exactly what I expected."
"You mean you thought that we would chuck him in Azkaban, and maybe give him the Dementor's Kiss?" Harry asked.
Gabby nodded. "Yeah, why didn't you? The Kiss is said to be worse than death."
"I don't know what Remus' reasons were, but I wanted him to have his soul for his next great adventure. If I remember right, he's going to suffer more there, and for far longer, than he would have here. My parents and my ancestor will make sure of that," Harry answered.
"But how can you be so sure, Harry?" Gabby asked as she stepped onto the train. (Remus and Dumbledore had waved Harry off, telling him that they would handle the body and the press while he was trying to get Gabby's attention.)
Harry sighed. "I saw it for myself. My ancestor showed me the place where wicked souls end up. It's a horrible place."
Gabby paled. "You saw it?" she asked disbelievingly.
Harry nodded.
"Wow."
"Yep."
"What would have happened if you had let him get the Dementor's Kiss first?" Gabby asked.
"Almost the same thing," Harry answered. Except that it only takes a few hundred years for a dementor to completely digest a soul. During that time, they are in excruciating torment, but once it's done, poof! They simply cease to exist."
"How is that possible?"
Harry chuckled. "I asked that too, when my ancestor first told me. He looked at me, whacked me in the head with his staff, and told me that since dementors were once human, they are able to travel within this plane. Their powers though, are from the spirit realm. After being cursed, the Shadow Magi did horrible, gruesome things, that brought them to the very gates of the spirit realm itself. Unfortunately for them, being drawn to the darkness as they were, they had come upon the gates of death. The Veil that they discovered is still there, in the exact spot. The ministry was built around it, several miles underground. Now, it stands alone in a room within the Department of Mysteries. Anyways, after studying it, they began to use it's powers to drain the happiness from those around them, and they started tearing souls from their victims, while in their shadow form. No one knows exactly how, but eventually the dark spirits that guarded the realm of death became very angry at being cheated out of their victims, and were able to cross over into this world, where they fought the shadow magi. This is where it gets wierd. See, the shadow magi, and the dark spirits disappeared, but the race of dementors had been born. According to my ancestor, the shadow magi were forced to allow their powers to consume them, which ultimately devoured their own souls, in order to win the battle. They took the dark spirits into themselves, just as they did to the souls of their victims. Because of this, dementors can freely cross the veil of death, and they retain the power to destroy immortal souls by devouring them."
Gabby looked awestruck. Harry however, had found his usual compartment at the end of the cabin, and opened the door, only to see Hermione already inside.
Harry looked at the empty seat across from her, his heart leaping in excitement at seeing his other best friend again. "Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing to the empty seat. "Everywhere else is already full."
Hermione shook her head, and Harry and Gabby sat down across from her. Outside, the Weasley twins were their usual selves, not put out in the least by what had happened.
They had leaned out of the window for Mrs. Weasley to kiss them good-bye, and then Ginny began to cry.
"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."
"If that doesn't cheer you up, we'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."
"George!"
"Only joking, Mom."
"He meant that I'll send you one. Which color would you like? Modern or antique?" Harry said as he leaned out his own window. Gabby giggled.
"Harry!" Ginny squealed. "Oh, please owl me, won't you?"
"Of course he will," Gabby remarked, poking her head out the window. "We both will."
"I wish I could go with you guys, but I'm still too young," Ginny said sadly.
"Cheer up," Harry said. "Just think about next year, when you'll likely be sitting right here beside us, off to your first year at Hogwarts too."
"But that's not for a whole year," Ginny complained. "I'm going to miss you all."
"Awe, well we will still owl you, and tell ya what, come here real quick," Harry said.
Ginny rushed forward to him and he placed a portal stone in her hand. Looking at her confused look he answered her unspoken question. "Anytime you want to see us, and we aren't in class, just roll his over twice and say 'Prongs'. It will transport you to the mansion that is inside of our trunk. Whenever we are studying we will likely be there."
"Oh, thank you, Harry!" Ginny said.
"So, see you soon?" Harry asked with a grin.
Ginny nodded her head vigorously. "I'll see you tonight."
"That's better," Gabby said. "But you really should be going now, the train will be leaving at any moment. We are already late as it is."
As if the conductor was thinking alone the same lines, the train suddenly began to move, and Ginny hurried back to her mother as Harry and Gabby watched out the window.
Mrs. Weasley stood there waving and Ginny was running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed. Then she too fell back and waved. Harry watched them both disappear as the train rounded the corner and houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. In a few short hours, he would finally be back at Hogwarts!
Just then, Hermione looked up from her book. "My name is Hermione Granger, by the way. Who are you?"
"I'm Harry," he answered. "Harry Potter. Beside me is my Lady Gabrielle."
"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"Am I really?" said Harry, amused. 'Same old Hermione. I'm glad some things never change, at least,' he thought to himself.
"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad."
"I wouldn't set to much store by Dumbledore," Harry muttered. "He tends to make a few mistakes here and there, but when he does, they're big ones."
"Well, I don't know," Hermione said. "I don't even know how we are chosen for our Houses, but I heard that I have to do some difficult spell."
"Did you happen to hear that from a pair of redheaded twins?" Harry asked chuckling.
"Yes I did, actually. Do you know them?" Hermione asked. "Never mind that. I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me, so it shouldn't be too much trouble. After all, I've learned all our course books by heart, of course. I just hope that it will be enough."
"Don't worry," Harry replied grinning. "The Sorting is nothing like that, you'll see."
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Harry and Gabby, who had missed breakfast, both jumped up. Grabbing his money bag from within his robes, Harry said, "We'll take the lot. We're the last one's right?"
"That you are, dears," the woman replied. "That will be four galleons, three sickles, and five knuts."
Harry counted out the gold and started handing all the sweets into Gabby and Hermione. He must have bought enough sweets to last a month. There was Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other things that Harry hadn't tried before.
After the woman left with her empty trolley, Harry sat there, looking out the window for a while in silence. He was quiet for a while, watching the fields and lanes flick past. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of their compartment and a round-faced boy that Harry recognized as Neville came in. He looked tearful.
"Sorry," Neville said, "But have you seen a toad at all?"
When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," said Harry. "Have you checked the baggage compartment? It's nice and dark back there.
"Yes," said Neville miserably. "Well, if you see him..."
"Don't worry, Neville. We'll make sure to get Trevor back to you if we see him."
"How do you know my name?" Nevilla said suspiciously. "And Trevor's."
"I know a lot of people. But I remember seeing you on the platform with your grandmother when she was getting on to you about almost forgetting your spare sets of robes," Harry answered. He had in fact, seen it. It just wasn't the truth to Neville's question.
"Oh, well then. I'm Neville, what's your name," Neville said, slightly happier than he was the moment before.
"I'm Harry Potter, beside me is my beautiful lady, Gabrielle. And across from us is Hermione Granger," Harry replied, watching the wheels turn in Neville's head, causing his mouth to drop wide open.
"Wow. Wait until I tell Gran I met the Harry Potter," Neville exclaimed excitedly. "Do you mind if I sit in here with you all, after I find my toad?"
"Of course not, come on in," Gabby replied.
"Thanks!" Neville closed the compartment door as he came in all the way and sat next to Hermione.
"I almost forgot," she said suddenly. "Harry, did you know that Dumbledore himself delivered my letter? He spoke with my parents for quite a long time. They didn't tell me right away, because they were scared of how I would react. They didn't need to worry; I have always known them to act in my best interests, and I love them. So when they told me that Albus Dumbledore was your magical guardian, they also told me that they had signed a marriage contract with him for me and you, did you know?"
'Leave it to Hermione to trust parents and teachers no matter what,' Harry thought.
"Yes, we know. We found out a couple of weeks ago," Gabby answered for him.
"Really? How did you know? My parents said that it was a secret between them and Dumbledore, that they would allow me to tell you myself, here on the train before we got to Hogwarts."
"Gringotts keeps extensive records of things like that," Gabby replied. "Especially since at the time we found out about he contract, we were going over several other marriage contracts that Harry is being forced into. The one between you and him was signed about a week before he became an emancipated Head of House, so the timing was lucky on Dumbledore's part. A week later, and it would have been null and void, seeing as Harry no longer has a guardian, magical or otherwise."
"Are you one of the other girls that he is contracted to?" Hermione asked. "It would just seem that way, the way you two are with each other, and the way he introduced you."
"Actually, no," Gabby replied. "What Harry and I have is deeper. We are bonded in a way that can't be broken and we can't be forced apart."
Hermione frowned. "What bond?"
"Have you ever heard of veela?" Gabby asked. Seeing the confused look on Hermione's face as she shook her head, Gabby sighed and leaned back into Harry.
"Are you really a veela?" Neville asked suddenly, shock in his eyes. Gabby nodded.
"I'm one quarter veela on my mother's side."
"Wicked!"
"What is a veela?" Hermione shouted angrily.
Harry laughed, and Gabby sat there for the next couple of hours, and explained veela, their heritage, and history to Hermione as Harry and Neville listened in. She also explained veela's powers, and the bonds that can form between them and others, including the bond that she and Harry now shared.
As he listened, Harry stared out the window. The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields that Harry had seen earlier were gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
The compartment door slid open yet again, and three boys entered, whom Harry recognized at once.
The middle boy was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Gringotts.
"You again" he said. "I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day."
"Possibly," said Harry calmly. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And you already know my name. Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Nevilla gave a slight cough, which didn't hide his snigger that well.
Draco Malfoy looked at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. Pudgy, stupid face. Running up and down the train clueless, looking for a toad. And brought by your Gran. You're Neville Longbottom. My father was very surprised when he noticed that you had enough magic in you to make it into Hogwarts, he's on the Hogwarts board of Governors."
"You should be shot of this baggage, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "There are those that you want to know, and those that you don't want to be seen around in the wizarding world. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
'Dejavu,' Harry thought.
Malfoy held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, Malfoy," he said coolly. "I honestly don't have a clue where you got the bright idea that I'd want an arrogant, albino prick like yourself being my social advisor. You throw the name Malfoy around like it's supposed to mean something? Let me tell you what it means to me. Jack. Shit. Nada. Get it? Got it? Good."
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either."
Harry and Gabby both jumped up, wands in their hands. "Don't you dare insult my parents, Malfoy. Unlike mine, your father didn't have the courage or the conviction to stand up for his beliefs. Your pathetic father had to use his money to help him lie his way out of a one way ticket to Azkaban. Your aunt is a psychopath who's currently residing in Azkaban, along with her husband and his brother. Yet, you still have the audacity to stand there and tell me which wizarding families are better than others? Why don't you take dumb and dumber there and run crying to your daddy!"
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"You have three seconds to leave," Harry snarled.
"That's just too bad. See, we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached towards the Chocolate Frogs next to Neville, but before he could reach his had halfway across, Gabby had raised her wand and cried, "Impedimenta!"
Harry looked at her, amazed as Goyle was blasted up against the wall. "Where did you learn that, Gabby?"
"I don't know," she said, looking confused. "I don't know any spells. I think it may be our bond is growing. Maman always said that the more we grow closer, the stronger it will be. In some instances the bonded can share each other's knowledge, and even communicate with each other in their minds."
Harry was stunned. "That explains it, then. But if you are able to know all the spells that I know, you're pretty dangerous, so be careful."
"I know, Harry."
Turning back to Malfoy, Harry asked. "Still want a taste?"
Malfoy looked over at Goyle and sneered back at Harry. "Letting your girlfriend do all the diry work, Potter? That's pretty low." Crabbe cracked his knuckles menacingly.
Harry shrugged. "Well, if you insist." Pointing his wand at them both, he raised it above his head and brought it swishing down, "Bombarda!"
Malfoy and Crabbe both keeled over, like someone had hit them hard in the gut.
Harry kept his want aimed at them. "Evanesco!" Their robes vanished. "Petrificus Totalus!" All three were bound.
Malfoy's eyes glared up at Harry. "You were warned, Malfoy. Next time, it gets serious. You got off like a child this time. Do it again, and I will hurt you. Stupefy!" And all three were blasted out of the compartment.
"You've met Malfoy before?" Neville asked, looking in awe at Harry. Hermione's jaw was still on the floor, perhaps at Harry knowing such magic, but quite possibly because she thought that Harry had just gotten them all expelled for fighting before school even started.
Harry explained about him meeting Malfoy in Gringotts.
"I've heard of his family," said Neville darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. Gran doesn't believe it. She says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."
"We'd better hurry up and put our robes on, I'd be willing to bet we're nearly there," Hermione said.
"Okay, so who stays in here? Us blokes, or you girls?" Neville asked.
"It doesn't matter if Harry stays in here with us, but can you give us a few moments to change, please?" Hermione said.
Neville went pink. "Of course," he replied, looking rattled as he left the compartment to go get changed.
Harry, Gabby, and Hermione all took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes and were just finishing up when Neville returned.
A voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Harry's stomach leaped with excitement, and Gabby looked anxious. Hermione had barely put her book away looking nervous, but Neville looked the worst. Harry see the nervousness written all over his chubby, pale face.
Hogsmeade Village, Near Hogwarts, Scotland
Before long, they crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Gabby shivered in the cold night air and Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her close to keep her warm. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? Gabrielle?"
"Wonderful. How have you been, Hagrid?" Harry called out.
"Good to see you, Hagrid," Gabby shouted.
"Doin' great Harry, Gabby. It's great ter see ye both here. Welcome ter Hogwarts."
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what the steep, narrow path to the was so dark on either side of them that Harry wouldn't have been able to see three feet ahead of him without his enhanced eyesight, or Hagrid's lamp.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!" from many of the students as they came around the corner. The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of the great black Hogwarts Lake.
Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. "Hogwarts," Harry breathed. There was a familiar, comfortable warmth spreading through him at the site of the magnificent castle. It was almost like Hogwarts was welcoming him back into her arms. It was good to be home.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Harry and Gabby were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. Harry could see Gabby's intake of breath as she looked at the beauty of Hogwarts against the night sky.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff. They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which took them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock, following close and keeping an eye on Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid asked. Neville nodded.
Stepping up to the door, Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the door to the entrance hall.
Entrance Hall, Hogwarts
The door swung open at once, revealing Professor McGonagall. She was a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes and she had a very stern face that always gave students the all too correct impression that she was not someone to cross.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. Many of the students gaped at the size of the entrance hall, looking around in wonder. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase was facing them, leading to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor, into a small, empty chamber off the hall. As they passed, Harry and Gabby could both hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, which led to the Great Hall. The rest of the school was already there, sitting with their houses, and waiting for the Sorting to begin.
As Professor McGonagall showed the first years into the small chamber, they crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, most of them peering about very nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Hermione asked Harry, but he just grinned.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
From over to his left, he heard Ron talking to Dean Thomas. "I heard it was some kind of test. My older brother Fred said it hurts a lot. Something like wrestling a troll."
Hearing him, half the students, including Malfoy and his goons, went pale. Harry stepped forward, and the other students went quiet, eyes drifting upwards, locking onto his scar. Harry sighed, some things never change. Fortunately he was used to the stares and whispers by now, so they just served to disinterest him. "Ron, if we really had to wrestle a troll, do you honestly think that any first year would ever survive being sorted?"
Ron went red. "I don't hear you coming up with any ideas, Oh Chosen One," he sneered sarcastically.
Malfoy and his goons sniggered. "Sounds to me like at least one Weasley has some good sense, Potter."
"Want to have a repeat of what happened on the train, Malfoy?" Harry said coolly. "What about you, Ron? Care for another lesson in pain?"
Both boys gulped, causing several of the other students to snigger and point at them.
Just then, several people near the back screamed. He heard Hermione gasp, as did many of the first years.
About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They were too engaged in their arguement about Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist.
The Fat Friar was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost. We need to expell him straightaway - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "It's my old house, you know."
"Move along now," came McGonagall's sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall, right into the Great Hall, where the rest of the school was already waiting.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Feeling excitement in every bone in his body at finally being back in Hogwarts, the only place he had ever felt at home in the wizarding world, Harry took the lead, followed closely by Gabby and Hermione. Neville, looked for the quickest path to the back of the line. When the line had formed, they walked outof the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Just as the doors to the Great Hall opened, Harry thought to himself, 'Here we go. Finally back at Hogwarts.'
Author's Notes:
Haha, I know I'm cruel. So how many of you did I have going, right up till the very end? Sorry folks! Sorting is next chapter. Anyone have any ideas as to where Harry gets sorted? Remember, I don't like to follow the normal guidelines, if I can help it. Good guessing!
Credit to JKR since McGonagall's welcoming speech is a direct quote from canon, just to make it a little more like Harry's true first time to Hogwarts.
By the way, for all of you using your reviews to complain about cliche's, I do appreciate the constructive criticism, for those of you who aren't outright flaming me, but that is the way that I think and write. Haven't you ever wondered why cliche's work so well? It's because cliche's are upfront and honest, straight to the point. I do have a roundabout way to make sure everything isn't like that, or it would have no finesse, no intrigue, but to this point where the stage is almost set, nearly everything has to be straight to the point so that the readers can understand the circumstances and the frame of mind that each character is in.
Btw, so far many have come close to guessing the mysterious power that Harry holds, yet none have been able to give me the correct answer. Remember, Love is the key. However, kudos to those very few who are getting closer and have named a couple aspects of the power he wields.
Anyways, about Remus' story. I know that many of you already know all about it, but it was a necessary add in so that Fudge, and the crowd of people on the platform, know the entire truth of what happened. It makes it all the more difficult for the Ministry to cover up. Of course, it also stands to severely discredit the Ministry. I wonder what the Prophet will have to say about it.