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Dreams of Home Chapter 22
🕑 Added 2023-05-23 17:16:14 +0000 UTCChapter 22
After the greetings between the little family were complete, Charlus and Dorea sat down on a large loveseat offering Harry a butterbeer as they gestured for him to sit across from them. The fire was burning in the background of the room, and Dorea’s smile of affection brought warmth to Harry as she asked, “Pleasure before business when it comes to family, dear. Tell us all about your Hogwarts experience so far, and the friends you have made.”
“Many of them are hoping for a chance to meet you.” Harry said with a grin, “I told James and Sirius you might hang around for a bit to spend some time with everyone.”
Charlus offered his surrogate son a smile, “I am glad you boys aren’t too old that you don’t want your family around.”
“We would be happy to join you, boys, for a drink.” Dorea said, looking very content with the situation.
Harry went on to tell them about his first week in school. He talked about how much he enjoyed having a chance to spend some time with his parents, and how well he was getting along with Andi and her few Slytherin friends as well. Harry talked about each of the four Slytherins he befriended, and that of course included the Muggleborn, Elaina Essex.
Charlus was grinning ear to ear when Harry told him that he had toppled Alphard Black in their first duel together, and Dorea even seemed impressed. To beat any adult Black in a duel was an accomplishment according to Dorea. The fact that Alphard had impressed Dumbledore enough to hire the man was a testament in itself to the man’s fortitude with a wand. According to Charlus the Defense Professors in recent years had been much better than what Harry experienced in his time at Hogwarts.
Eventually, things became heated when Harry began to explain what had transpired between him and the junior Death Eaters in the Slytherin common room, “I should’ve known better. They were all in Voldemort’s inner circle in my time. I only thought that after I embarrassed them magically with such ease they wouldn’t dare curse me in the back. Had it not been for my friend, Elaina, I imagine I would have woken up in the hospital wing, if I would’ve woken up at all.”
Harry didn’t feel this was an exaggeration on his part. He did not recognize the curse Avery had thrown at him, and while it is likely it was not lethal it was not impossible that it was. Charlus stood now, pacing not far from where Harry was sitting. Dorea and Harry both watched him cautiously as the man was flaring his magical presence in irritation.
Finally, he stopped and said, “Have we truly been gone from the Wizarding World for so long that people attack our family without fear of consequences? Have we truly fallen so far from grace that my son could be attacked in front of dozens of witnesses, and they expected to get away with it? I will have a blood feud declared by the end of the day, and we will wipe the Avery family off the face of the Earth.”
“Charlus.” Dorea said calmingly.
“Dory, these bastards attacked our son!” The man said fiercely, “And weren’t even man enough to do it while he was facing them. They tried cursing him in the back!”
Harry was surprised by the man’s anger, and flattered that he would go so far for his family. The young man supposed that in the two months he had been here there was no point in thinking of Dorea and Charlus as anything but his parents. They certainly treated him like their son. Rising to his feet Harry put a calming hand on his father's shoulder, “It’s alright, dad. Warn them. In the next Wizengamot meeting. Go with uncle Monty. Tell them what will happen to the next person who dares to curse one of us in the back. If they quarrel with you, bring the might of the Potter family down upon them. From what you have taught me about this family that is exactly what our ancestors would have done.”
Charlus frowned, “Maybe past Potters. When our family linked with the Peverells they would have annihilated the entire Avery, Yaxley, Lestrange, and Mulciber line just for being involved in the conflict.”
Dorea added, “Perhaps it would be best to blood feud these bigots.”
Charlus and Harry both looked surprised at the softly-spoken woman, but what Harry saw in her eyes was the witch who killed Vinda Rosier, Grindelwald's most infamous lieutenant. Gone was the woman who spoke kindly to the injured, and nursed witches and wizards back to health. In her place was a witch who was prepared to go back to war, “If we destroy the Avery line then others would be reminded of our prowess and experience on a battlefield. If some of the younger Death Eaters were to see this, perhaps they would think twice if they knew it was possible my husband, myself, and you, Harry, will be waiting for them.”
Shaking his head, Harry couldn’t help but agree with the woman, “Maybe you are right, but I think we should let this go this time. Make our threats, and the next time one of them steps out of line then the world cannot say we didn’t warn them.”
The two war vets thought for a long moment, and unsurprisingly it was Dorea who conceded first, but turned to Charlus who still looked furious. The woman stood, took Charlus’ hand, and brought it to her lips where she placed a soft kiss on his knuckles. In an instant the man crumbled, and nodded his head, “It will be as you said, Harry.”
The young man nodded gratefully, happy that his family trusted him, “There is something else though.”
Charlus and Dorea both looked at him curiously, and he stood to his feet feeling anxious for some reason about the topic, “The Muggleborn I told you about, Elaina. I owe her a debt. As part of that, I have offered her the protection of House Potter.”
Both looked surprised at his words, but Charlus conceded first, “It is the least we can do. You may not be an heir to this family, but we are a small enough clan that saving the life of any member of our family justifies your response. Do you know what this entails?”
Harry scratched the back of his neck nervously feeling a little heat rise to his cheeks, “Not really. I said it without thinking, and when she asked if I was serious I could see no reason to back down from it. She seemed to know more than I did. I guess I don’t understand the severity of it because if it offers such an advantage then why didn’t someone tell me to do it for Hermione in my time?”
Dorea seemed to understand the question, and provided an answer with ease, “Simple, Harry. You were the last Potter in your time. The protection of House Potter simply means that the entire house would come to her aid, or at least enough of us to protect her from any challengers. In our case it is likely the three of us would be able to handle any issue that arises. The difference between Hermione, and this Miss Essex, is that you trusted Hermione with your life. You had her at your side for years developing that sense of trust. For us, it would have been appropriate to put her under the protection of house Potter. For Miss Essex, we would have preferred a chance to better judge her character before doing so.”
Charlus nodded, “If she were to bite off more than she could chew, and start a fight with one of our allies, or someone we did not wish to quarrel with, it would be quite dishonorable for us to back down, and leave her out to dry. We could, but it would be quite scandalous. Especially from our family which has a reputation for valuing honor and tradition. I hope you trust this girl.”
“I would be foolish to trust her completely.” Harry admitted, “But I do have some trust in her. There was nothing for her to gain by protecting me, nothing that could’ve been considered in the split-second it took Avery to throw his curse. She acted on instinct, and saved me from serious harm. I owe her, and I have already begun repaying my debt.”
Dorea frowned at his words, “Offering her the protection of House Potter as a Muggleborn is already quite the boon. What else have you done?”
“She wanted to duel, and I granted her that. She is very skilled with a wand. Definitely, the most powerful person I have encountered at Hogwarts that is not a professor. She threw a blasting hex at me so powerful it nearly shattered my shield. She is also very fast. Almost unnaturally so.” Harry admitted.
Charlus this time looked interested at this, “You know we are by no means pureblood supremacists, Harry, but a Muggleborn that can present a challenge to you is certainly interesting. You have not only the advantage of fighting in the war in your time, but also your magic was forced to strain itself against the Horcrux every day of your adult life, so without it, you were bound to make leaps and bounds beyond your already formidable skills. The fact that this girl is that skilled is concerning. You used the word unnatural, and perhaps you are right to do so.”
Dorea frowned at her husband's assessment, “You think she’s dipped into ritualistic magic?”
Scratching his clean facial hair Charlus thought for a moment before saying, “It would be impossible to tell without meeting her, but that seems the most likely outcome. There can always be powerful Muggleborns, but it is no coincidence that usually the strongest among us are always purebloods or half-bloods. There is some truth to the fact that magical bloodlines produce more powerful witches and wizards. It just has nothing to do with blood purity in my opinion. A witch at seventeen being a serious challenge to you with your abilities, Harry, would be beyond unlikely–it would be a near miracle.”
“Do you know anything about her family?” Dorea asked curiously.
“Only that they refused to sign her Hogsmeade permission slip.” Harry said with a frown crossing his features, “That isn’t a good sign in my experience, but it could be nothing. I tried to subtly ask the others last night, but no one really knew anything. If anyone did it would be Andromeda. Perhaps I can ask her, or you could. That actually leads me to the other thing I did for her.”
Charlus' eyebrows rose, while Dorea’s furrowed, “What did you do, Harry?”
The woman’s tone was curious, and Charlus suddenly looked quite amused speaking for his son, “I can tell you what our son did, honey. He snuck the girl out of the school so she could enjoy a Hogsmeade weekend with her friends.”
Harry blushed at being caught so easily by his father, and it was clear his coloring cheeks portrayed his guilt as Dorea rolled her eyes, “You Potter men all the same. If breaking the rules is noble then let’s just break them! What if something happens to the girl?”
Her tone was accusing, but her own smile betrayed her true thoughts of amusement. Harry however answered the question, “She is posing as quite the fetching redhead right now, and is going under the alias of Victoria. You will get a chance to meet her downstairs. Besides, I will be keeping an eye on her for most of the day. If someone were to try something I will protect her as I must. I can’t be getting in trouble for a good deed now can I?”
This last part was said with a cheeky smile making Charlus chuckle, while Dorea rolled her eyes. The family returned to their seats during the lull in the conversation and Charlus spoke, “Now let’s get down to a little bit of business. I know you wrote down the names of all the Death Eaters you knew of in your time for Arcturus and I, but we need to start finding ways to combat these bastards. They are just slaughtering people in the streets of their childhood homes, and it cannot go unanswered.”
“Your father and I,” Dorea continued, “have been reaching out to some of our old crowd that we have kept up with around the world, and this rise of the purebloods here is inspiring others around the world to rise up. I am not sure how much you knew about the international community in your time, but if Voldemort was as close to victory as you think he was then I can only imagine it was quite dismal.”
“I honestly don’t know.” Harry admitted, “No one ever indicated to me that war was breaking out elsewhere. I couldn’t even tell you if there were pockets of revolution. The only time I interacted with foreigners was during the Quidditch World Cup, and the Triwizard Tournament. On neither of those occasions can I remember hearing anything like that.”
Charlus and Dorea both grimaced at his words, but continued on, “Something needs to be done.”
Sighing, Harry shrugged, “It took years before the Aurors were given the right to properly fight back against the Death Eaters. If Arcturus and Fleamont can spearhead that earlier than last time that could save a lot of lives. Other than that, the Order of the Phoenix did their best to recruit Aurors so they knew about attacks. In my time, the Order members would go and fight the Death Eaters, or at least try to prevent them from burning major cities to the ground.”
“I was afraid you would say that.” Charlus admitted, “It appears we are destined to lose many battles before we win the war.”
Dorea patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, “It will be just like last time.”
“Except this time it will be in our backyard.” Charlus huffed, “I don’t like it.”
“No one does.” Harry agreed, “But for now there isn’t much we can do. James and Lily both are clearly disturbed by what is happening, but even they don’t understand what is going on out there. Until this starts becoming more personal to the families of Wizarding Britain they will largely bury their heads in the sand. It is how he did it last time.”
The two war vets looked disturbed by his words, but ultimately decided that for now, it was going to have to be a wait-and-see game. Deciding it was time to join the others downstairs the family went back to the bar area, and were welcomed with cheers by Sirius and James. James was embraced by both Charlus and Dorea, while Sirius was pulled in by the Potter woman as well. Andromeda moved to embrace her aunt and the two exchanged quiet greetings while Harry began introducing his father to his friends. When the final introduction of Victoria came along, Charlus took Elaina’s small hand into his own, “My son told me about what happened the other night. Our family is in your debt, and you do in fact have the protection of House Potter in case there was any doubt.”
The table all exchanged looks at this, and stunned silence followed. Elaina was now blushing as hard as Harry however when Charlus cupped the girl's hand in between his. Harry scratched the back of his neck when he told his dad, “I guess I should’ve mentioned only the Slytherins actually knew who this was.”
Dorea smacked her husband on the arm, “Way to sell the boy out, Charlus.”
“It was an honest mistake.” The man defended.
“It means a lot, Mr Potter.” Elaina said looking quite nervous all of a sudden, “Harry has more than paid back the favor since then.”
Ignoring her words Harry gave the others a firm look, “Not a word of this to anyone.”
James and Sirius both took on Cheshire cat-like grins, and Sirius wiped at his eyes, “His first trick as an honorary Marauder at Hogwarts, and he snuck a girl into Hogsmeade. I am so proud.”
Lily was biting her lip at this, and Elaina was watching her closely, clearly the most worried about the Head Girl’s reaction. To ease the girl's mind Harry touched Lily on the shoulder, “I take full responsibility if anything goes wrong. Trust me, Lily.”
Finally, the girl nodded her head, “Alright. I won’t say anything. Just don’t get in the habit of having me covering for you, Potter.”
“If my dad hadn’t blown my plan no one would have even known.” Harry muttered, giving Charlus a slightly irritated look.
The man merely winked in return, while Harry’s eyes shifted to Frank and Alice who both shrugged. Frank said with a grin, “I’ve been living with the Marauders for years. It won’t be the first time I’ve covered for a Potter.”
Alice nodded in agreement, “If anyone asks, we met a lovely witch named Victoria in Hogsmeade today, from France, just like she told us.”
Finally, Harry’s eyes went to Marlene who looked suspicious, and a little put out by what was happening, but she nodded her head, “Of course, I won’t say anything either.”
Elaina didn’t quite relax, but Harry did, “Thank you. I asked her to trust me, and this would be a pretty poor way of repaying her by getting her into trouble.”
The others all nodded in agreement, and Charlus broke the momentary silence, “What is everyone drinking? Allow me to pick up the next round.”
A few disagreements were had, but Charlus was having none of it as he went to the bar. In the meantime Dorea linked her arm through Harry’s with a smile speaking towards Xeno, “Mr Lovegood, I have heard quite the hubbub over your new publication. I have to say I was quite interested in your journalism when Harry sent me a subscription.”
The two exchanged words on journalism, and Marlene moved around the table subtly to be by Harry. Leaning over to whisper to the girl he said, “Sorry about all this. No one was supposed to know I snuck her down here this afternoon. Our evening together was supposed to go uninterrupted with no one being the wiser.”
Marlene looked like she struggled with her words as she forced a smile up at him, “I wish you had told me when I asked you out last night. This was quite the surprise.”
“I honestly didn’t put this together until afterward.” Harry admitted, “I didn’t know she had never been, and like I said, I owed her a favor.”
The blonde witch looked like she wanted to push the topic, but Dorea dragged him back into her conversation as she targeted Elaina, “So, Victoria, I hear you put my son through the ringer a few nights ago. That is quite extraordinary. You must know by now that we trained him ourselves, and he is quite the phenomenon with his wand. To be able to stand up against him as well as you did is incredible. You must work your magic very hard to be so proficient.”
Elaina forced a smile on her face, and Harry could instantly tell it was not genuine, “I was forced to become the best witch I could be from a very young age, Mrs Potter. I am sure you can remember that Slytherin house does not take kindly to Muggleborns, even outside of the current political climate.”
“I understand, my dear.” Dorea said consolingly, “I did not push myself very hard magically until my seventh year. Things were getting heated overseas, and my brother, Regulus, was already fighting on the eastern front near Russia. I was desperate to become powerful enough to be useful to my family in their moment of need. Your survival instincts and ambition are well placed in House Slytherin.”
When she finished her words she raised her glass towards the girl, and Harry offered her a smile, which was returned much more genuinely this time, “Thank you, Mrs Potter, coming from such an accomplished witch, such as yourself, means a lot.”
“Please call me Dorea dear.” The woman offered, “You are now under the protection of my house, and if we are ever needed to answer the call I think it best we are on a first-name basis. We can save all the formalities for my brothers who are the lords of my houses. The rest of us like to keep things as informal as possible.”
As conversations were exchanged around the table Alice grabbed Charlus’ attention to engage in conversation with the man, “Mr Potter, I think we are all dying to know what Harry was like growing up. He comes off as this mysterious rogue that does some of the most Gryffindor-like things I have ever seen. Only for him to switch up completely on us, and prove he is as cunning as any Slytherin. Tell us something about him, because he won’t give us much.”
Charlus grinned as he came to stand behind his son putting both hands on his shoulders, “Harry has always shown bouts of extraordinary bravery. Dorea and I suspected for years he ultimately belonged in Gryffindor, but as you all likely know by now he has certain gifts that made us think it was his destiny to be in Slytherin.”
Elaina seemed surprised at his words, and answered the man’s rhetorical statement, “Parseltongue.”
Charlus pointed at the young woman in acknowledgment, “Exactly, and that was obviously not the only thing. Some of the tactics he developed in his dueling as he got older were incredibly tricky. His plans are quite ambitious too. Not everything goes according to plan, but the resolution always ends with him being on top. We are lucky he is not heir to the family as he would’ve either ruled or killed half the Wizengamot in his first year of service.”
This caused many to laugh at Harry’s discomfort, while Lily shook her head, “What was it like for you to give up being Heir to the family when James was born? Was that hard?”
Charlus laughed, “Heavens no. Where do you think my son gets the desire to crush people who annoy him? I would never have been a good lord for our family. We would’ve been in a blood feud every few months. My brother is a much better politician than I ever could have hoped to be.”
“My husband was never a good diplomat. You should’ve heard his victory speech he gave in Germany after we defeated Grindelwald's forces.” Dorea said, making the man groan.
James looked very interested in the story everyone did, and Dorea indulged them, even attempting to mimic the man’s voice, “We killed the bastards. Good work everyone.”
This caused everyone at the table to laugh, and Charlus to chuckle in good nature at the woman teasing him, “I was never a public speaker. My wand always did my talking.”
“Something Harry never struggled with.” Dorea said with a knowing smile, “I never had a chance to see it for myself, but we heard of a few moments between him and his friends where he rose to the challenge, and became the leader they all needed. It is nice to see his work in action. Here I see a member from 3 of the 4 houses. Considering the state of things I would say his leadership is already coming into play at Hogwarts.”
Andromeda had to agree with her aunt on that, “Hard to disagree with you there, Auntie. I think it helps that half the house is terrified of him though. After Elaina protected him his rage was palpable when he took down Avery and Yaxley. I would never want to be on the other side of his wand.”
Charlus moving the conversation along asked James, “When’s the first Quidditch match for the year James?”
“Slytherin vs Gryffindor on the day after Halloween. We will see if Harry can beat my team to the snitch before I put up enough points to win the game.” James said with a beaming look.
Frank grinned saying, “I will make sure Slytherin isn’t allowed to score many goals. Our chasers are the best in the school, and with me Keeping we will get those 15 goals fast. Slytherin Potter will have his work cut out for him.”
Chuckling Charlus said, “It will be a fine match I am sure. We will make sure Harry is back in school in time for the game.”
Everyone looked at Charlus when he said that, and the man offered a small smile, “Harry will be at home with us on Halloween. I am afraid it is a family tradition for us to spend the day together.”
It was clear not everyone was following just why Charlus had said what he did, but James tilted his glass back and finished his drink, and hit the table with it, “I am going to get us all another round. Uncle Charlus, are you and Auntie staying for more?”
The man seemed glad the topic was changing quickly, and accepted, “Put it on my tab, son. We will take care of it.”
James offered a bow of his head with a grin, and Dorea turned to Lily with a smile, “I hear my nephew has caused you quite the grief over the years.”
Lily’s cheeks colored slightly, and Harry sipped at his drink ignoring the other interactions around the table, and bar to listen to what his birth mother would say about his father, “He has gotten better over the years.” Lily confessed, “But you’re right, grief would be a good word to describe the headaches he caused me during our first five years in school together.”
Dorea chuckled, as did Marlene who was in between them, “I am glad he has matured. The world is becoming more and more dangerous out there, and he will need his wits, good friends, and his family, to make it out there. You all will. This is a good group of friends. Stick together, and I am certain you can all accomplish great things. My son tells me you are quite the witch, a compliment he does not hand out often. He has often compared you to someone who was quite dear to him, and I can think of no higher compliment.”
Harry froze at her words, and was glad James was returning with more drinks as Lily answered the woman’s comment, “Hermione. He has mentioned her.”
Dorea placed a comforting arm around her son, “Some are destined for great things, Miss Evans. If what my son says is true you may be one of them. Live up to it.”
With that, the Potter woman winked at the red-haired girl who had the same eyes as her son and reached for her drink listening to other conversations around the table. They listened as James recounted some of the Marauder's greatest pranks, and even about James embarrassing himself by asking out Lily a million times in their earlier years at Hogwarts. Watching the two blush was greatly amusing to Harry, and the time passed quickly as the afternoon turned into the early evening. Nate had even popped in for a drink at some point, but the young man had disappeared soon after, looking quite grim from whatever had transpired between him and his family.
Checking the time Charlus grunted towards Harry, “It seems the time has gotten away from us. We best be getting back to Potter Manor, and you all best be getting back to the castle.”
In surprise, Harry glanced at the clock on the wall, and realized his father was right. They had been drinking and talking much longer than they intended, and the bar itself was starting to slow down. Harry had not even noticed that Marlene, Alice, Frank, Pandora, and Xeno had slipped away at some point, and a small amount of guilt leaked into Harry’s stomach realizing he had not been a very good date to Marlene. Between the drinks and the conversations he had been sidetracked, but he had tried to warn the girl of his commitment. To the knowledge of the table, James didn’t even really get a chance to show Harry around, so he would make excuses, and make it up to the pretty blonde girl another time.
The group settled the tab, with Charlus picking up the bill at his own insistence, and followed the group out into the streets of Hogsmeade. Charlus had his arm around Dorea looking quite pleased with how the night went, and he turned to address Harry’s friends, “It was a pleasure to meet you all. If we don’t meet again at the next Hogsmeade visit, then certainly at the first Quidditch match.”
A series of thanks followed for their drinks, and Andromeda along with James hugged the Potters in farewell, leaving Harry an opportunity to embrace his parents and promising to write soon. As they separated, Charlus put a hand on his shoulder, “Remember what I said about what to do about the other purebloods. I will hold up my end. You just make sure I am informed if another one of those cowards decides to act against you or your lovely new friend.”
Harry nodded in understanding, and watched as his parents turned towards the street, wished everyone a final goodnight, and disapparated back to their home.
Comments
Ronke Kayode
Harry is a dick
Ronke Kayode
Harry Potter is making moves...offering protection .. What dweep
Keeperofthevoid
I agree! I've been expecting her death since she was introduced lol. I mean we know her whole family gets wiped out in the books.
Robert
Yeah that’s true. It’s funny that him being noble made him a shit date 😂
Beau Brown
Kind of a nice personality flaw we see in Harry even in the Canon story. He often assisted people in need just to be kind without thinking of the consequence.
Robert
That’s fair, it was less about what happened with his family than it was about sneaking Elaina in and all of that. I liked that he did all of that personally it was kind. But he didn’t even think about the fact he had accepted the date right before he did all of that and didn’t inform Marlene he would be held up. Just seemed unnecessary. I don’t think she’s the endgame pairing, and I have a bad feeling that she will be the reason the war hits home for the friend group…
Beau Brown
Marlene is a realistic aspect of interaction between teenagers. She represents normality and what his life could've been like in better circumstances. Harry is anything but normal though and it will continually be an issue for the pair. Harry did warn her of the possibility!
Robert
Gotta admit Harry was kinda a dick to Marlene there. Just seemed unnecessary to even have that date be something that happened in the first place. A really good chapter outside of that though. Enjoyed Charlus wanting to start a Blood feud with the Avery’s 😂😂 man definitely suffers no fools Enjoying this story and looking forward to next week.
