After Dumbledore had left, Harry and Edward had gone back to the vaults to find out what else there was in there. One of the things they'd found out was that Harry was Sirius' sole heir. That meant that he had inherited Number 12, Grimmauld Place; the Order of the Phoenix' headquarters.
The three vampires and Harry stood outside Grimmauld Place. Edward had informed him that several people were inside, including Snape. "Can you make sure Severus knows we're here?" The wizard asked the vampire, hoping he got the message that he'd want to talk to him later.
Edward nodded and reached out with his mind as he concentrated on Severus Snape. He knew he wouldn't be able to read the potions master's mind but he could probe the shields; letting him know he was trying to contact him. There was a slight opening and Edward reached out to it. Dumbledore is here, the thought was heard loud and clear before he was pushed out. "He knows we're here," he confirmed to the wizard.
Harry told the vampires to wait outside and walked into the house, grateful the curtains on Mrs. Black portrait were closed and headed straight for the kitchen. He could hear an order meeting was in progress and took a moment to listen to what they were saying. He felt his magic rising when he heard them discussing his future.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then made his presence known by walking inside the kitchen, quietly warding it so no one could get out, grateful he'd been able to learn the advance magic at Magic School. The discussion immediately stopped as Harry crossed the room.
"Harry, my boy…" The shock was evident in the headmaster's voice, apparently he hadn't counted on Harry finding them.
"Headmaster, I haven't been ‘your boy' for a while now." Harry looked around the room and noticed a lot of order members were present. Ron, Ginny, Mister and Misses Weasley, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody and of course Snape and the headmaster.
"I hear you are discussing my future. Shouldn't I be present for this little discussion? I am of age, after all."
"Harry, dear, we are trying to find a solution," Mrs. Weasley said calmly, obvious believing they were trying to help him. "We don't want you to have another outburst, do we?"
"Another outburst? Is that what he told you?" He had pointed to the headmaster. "In the year I spent overseas I haven't hurt anyone, I haven't had a magical outburst nor have I lost control. When I started to realise my magic may become dangerous, I asked my headmaster for help. He was the one who taught me our magic is controlled by our emotions, something you'd never learn at Hogwarts. Did you even know you don't need a wand to cast magic? Well, I sure as hell didn't! Until I was taught in America and guess what…I even graduated!"
He almost had to smirk at Hermione's gasp. "Yes, Hermione, I graduated a year earlier…" He stopped; he wasn't going into this now. "But I am not here to boast."
Harry smirked when he saw that the Headmaster as well as Moody were trying to reach for their wands. "Yeah, you can't reach for your wands," he told them. "I also warded this place so no one can leave, not even me."
"Are you holding us hostage?" Moody asked. His wand was in his sleeve but for some reason he couldn't reach it. It was as if he'd forgotten how to do so…
"No, well, yes. I just want to clear something up and then you're all free to leave. The wards are only here as a precaution since you have me at a disadvantage considering you are with a larger group than I am."
"What do you want?" Moody asked.
"To be left alone," Harry answered immediately. "Now, tell me what your little plan was now that you know I'm already bonded. Force me to relinquish my magic? Bind my magic?" Everyone in the room stayed silent but he could see by some of the guilty looks that this had been the case or at least this had been discussed.
"Yet, what you didn't include in your plan was the fact that I would be able to control my magic because who would have thought that little Harry Potter could control such powerful magic?" He was getting a little sarcastic, not to mention angry but he didn't care. He turned to the headmaster. "You thought I'd come to you for help and then you'd either control me or trick me into giving you my magic." The accusation hung heavily in the air but before Harry could continue he felt it. Someone was trying to get inside and he could tell it wasn't the vampires.
He turned away closing his eyes, trying to pinpoint who it was that were trying to get inside. "Death eaters," he breathed and quickly removed the wards. How did they get past the Fidelius Charm?
Immediately everyone sprung into action. Wands were out, some of them pointed at Harry but he didn't care. The Death Eaters were already inside and advancing on them. The first spell hit Kingsley and that's when everything broke loose.
Harry had taken his own wand out and was pointing it at the Death Eaters. Hitting them with any Hogwarts spell he could think of, not wanting any of them to know just how advanced his magic was; not to mention not willing to let his magic get out of control. Spells were flying around him and he tried to dodge them. He saw Mrs. Weasley was in trouble and quickly hit the Death Eater with a spell of his own.
He felt his magic rising, trying to break out. He channelled all his magic unto disarming the Death Eaters. Their wands came flying at him and he caught all of them in one hand. Then he performed a stupefy spell on all of them, making them fall motionless to the floor. His magic was pulsing around him and everyone in the room noticed.
He dropped the wands to the floor and tried to calm down but it wasn't working. He couldn't release his magic into the earth, the house somehow preventing him from connecting to the earth. His magic crackled in the air and he knew anyone who tried to get close to him would get shocked.
It wasn't until he felt arms circle around him that he noticed the vampires had entered the room. "Easy," the word was breathed into his ear and he felt a calm wash over him. He looked up at Jasper, who was sending calming waves to him and he nodded gratefully. Then he turned to the vampire who was holding him. He could feel the excessive magic leaving his body when he looked into Edward's eyes.
"And you say you have full control." The remark was snarled at him. He knew immediately who it was.
"I controlled it, didn't I?" He retorted, controlling the urge to roll his eyes at the potions master. It wouldn't do to let the headmaster know they were on friendlier terms than they led on.
"We have to take the Death Eaters out of here," Kingsley said. "Tonks, Moody and I will take them to Azkaban." The two of them gathered the Death Eaters together and left via Floo.
Harry stepped away from the vampire and looked around the room. Some were breathing heavily, while others looked at him with fear. "I haven't come here to fight any of you," Harry told them. "I'm here to show you the truth."
"We already know the truth," Ron told him. "We saw what happened."
"You know only what Dumbledore has told you. What you don't know is that he's obliviated you." Murmurs were heard through the room as eyes fell on Dumbledore.
"Harry, I command you to stop with this nonsense." The headmaster pulled out a document. "This states I am your legal guardian until you turn 18, and so I can command you to stop."
"There's a slight little problem, you see," Harry began. "This states you are my legal guardian in the muggle world. Technically we're in the wizarding world now so you have no say over me. Also that documentation is only legal when the guardians are or have been fit to take care of a child." Harry checked his watch. "And since about now my relatives will be seen unfit to be guardians, it will make those signatures invalid. I guess abuse and neglect will do that."
About five minutes later the Dursley's signatures disappeared from the document, leaving only Dumbledore's signature, rendering the document invalid.
"I made a trip to the ministry before coming here," Harry continued. "I told them all about how the Dursleys mistreated me and was told they'd investigate right away. It's what I love about wizarding care for muggle households; they take their jobs seriously. I guess this means they found them unfit, making this little document useless."
"Abuse? Neglect? Harry, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Weasley asked, when Harry stayed silent she turned to the headmaster. "Albus?"
"It seems I underestimated young Harry here, once more," the headmaster said as he stood up. "This isn't over," an evil glint twinkled in the headmaster's eyes when they landed on the younger wizard. Before anyone could react Dumbledore disapparated.
"Harry, what's going on?" Mrs. Weasley asked again.
Harry sighed and walked over to the Weasley's. "The headmaster removed some memories from you that are about me."
"How do you know?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"When I was younger I may have thought you didn't really care but I know better now," was his only answer. "I can give you your memories back."
"How?"
"Little something I picked up. Turns out I'm a natural healer, runs in the family. I'll be able to find the memories that were obliviated and restore them." He waited for Mrs. Weasley's permission before he turned to her. He waved his arm from left to right in front of her. It took her a moment to process what happened, the minute her memories returned and she got a hold of them, she led out a sob. He did the same to Mr. Weasley.
"Why would he obliviate us?" Mrs. Weasley sobbed as her husband tried to comfort her.
Hermione and Ron were looking at him with suspicion but he just walked over to them and did the same as he did to the older Weasley's. He did the same to Ginny and Remus. It was obvious when all their memories returned when they all seemed to shake themselves out of some trance. Turns out that most of them had realised Harry was being abused by the Dursleys and when they went to the headmaster about this he'd obliviated them not wanting his plans to fail. He needed Harry to be depended on him and if the Dursleys treatment made him look up to him he'd let him stay there.
Harry walked over to the potion master and looked deep in his eyes. A slight frown appeared on his face. Edward? He thought, catching the vampire's eyes. Write a message to Severus that I'm not returning his memories and I'll explain later.
The vampire moved too fast to be noticed by the wizards and witches in the room.
Harry made a show as if he was returning the potions master's memories when he noticed they were being watched. "Interesting," he said as he walked away from Snape.
"In case you're wondering," Harry began. "I know what memories were taken from you. Most of them consist of you finding out that I was abused by the Dursleys. One thing I don't understand is why you went to Dumbledore with this and not to Family Services?"
The room was filled with guilty looks but no one answered his question.
"Why would Dumbledore want to remove those memories?" Mr. Weasley asked.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Snape utter a sound of disbelief. "I believe Dumbledore wants my magic for himself."
"And how do you suppose he wants to accomplish this," Hermione asked.
"I don't know exactly how, but I suppose he'd either use a potion to remove my magic or a spell."
"But removing your magic will kill you in the process," Hermione observed as Snape made another snort.
"And now you understand why I fled the country," Harry remarked. "I haven't come here to ask for forgiveness for leaving so abruptly but I felt it was the best thing I could do and it was. I've started a life in America which I always wanted. I've not come back to claim my former life. Dumbledore can have it."
"Why did you come back then?" Ron spat at him as he crossed his arms.
"First of all, I was dragged back to England," Harry turned to his once best friend. He couldn't believe how much Ron had changed. "I won't even mention the fact that I was forced by the headmaster to bond with someone I don't even like, no offence to you Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, and in the process giving up my magic. I came here, to Grimmauld place because I found out Sirius left it me as his heir. I wanted to see if the house was as I remembered," he lied through his teeth but he didn't care.
"I didn't expect to find the whole Order here. I thought since Voldemort was defeated the Order wouldn't exist anymore. Imagine my surprise when I found everyone gathered here and discussing my fate. I guess with me as the new Dark Lord you'd need an order but let me tell you that it will not be in my house," his tone was commanding. The wizards and witches had once heard him use the same tone. It was when he commanded the order to tell him what was going on.
"So, now I'm going to ask you kindly to leave," Harry's facial expression hadn't changed. He was still determined. He didn't think Sirius would like it that the order was using his house, not after they'd turned on Harry.
"But Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley began but Harry interrupted her.
"Mrs. Weasley I don't mind anyone in this room using this house," he began. "I really don't. What I don't like, however, is the fact that my house was used to decide my fate without me," he'd wanted to use ‘to kill me' but he changed his mind on the last second. "Now, if you all will kindly leave my house."
"What has happened to you, Harry?" Hermione asked. "What has happened between us, Harry?"
"I started seeing things as they are," Harry replied. "And I think you know what has happened between us. I told you I might be gay and you flipped. You told me I was a disgusting little creep who should be sent to Azkaban." Shocked faces were all around him but he couldn't tell whether it was by his admission of by what Hermione had said to him. "And Ron, you agreed with Hermione only to tell me that you felt dirty because I slept in the same dormitory with you for 5 years."
Harry shook his head as he unconsciously stepped closer to the three vampires who had all been silent during the whole thing. "Can you actually believe deep inside I had hoped that these reactions were because of something Dumbledore had done or said?" His eyes landed on his once best friends. "But it was all you. I guess I should have known, for all you two really saw was the Boy-Who-Lived when you looked at me. But the two of you were my first friends and I often made excuses for your behaviour to me because I figured that was what best friends did. But even I ran out of excuses and I have had enough."
Harry looked at Ginny who had a shocked look on her face. "You're gay?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"Yes," Harry replied, firmly.
"But how?!" She suddenly exclaimed. "We were supposed to marry, start a family."
"Who gave you that idea?" Harry demanded but Ginny stayed silent. "Ginny, I've only ever seen you as a sister; nothing more, nothing less."
"I hate you," she spit out as tears started to run down her face.
Harry actually smiled. "I don't mind," he told her. "I'm sure you had reason to believe we'd start a family but I already have one."
"You mean them?" Ginny nodded to the three vampires.
Harry turned around and looked at the three vampires. First looking Jasper, then Emmett and eventually Edward in the eye as he considered her question. "Yes," he replied before turning back to Ginny. "I never meant to hurt you or anyone for that matter. It's just the way it is."
"Now, If you all will be so kind as to vacate my house," Harry said after a few moments of silence. The room had become eerie, emotions running high and he was sure Jasper would burst soon with the emotion overload. He watched as the Weasleys, Hermione and Remus walked to the door. "What do you want, Snape?" Harry asked, knowing that the potion master wouldn't leave but couldn't announce that. They weren't certain if they could trust everyone and if they reported back to Dumbledore that he and the potion master were on better terms than they led on, Snape would be cast out or worse.
"I left a potion brewing, I'm sure even someone with your incompetence can understand what will happen if a potion brews too long," the potion master snarled.
Harry had to groan out loud. Of course he had to use a potion as an excuse! "Fine, deal with that then I want you out!" He threw back and watched how Snape retreated into the basement. It didn't take long for the remaining Order members to leave and Harry was left alone with the three vampires.
TBC
Review