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Friday, 1 September 2017, Platform 9 and ¾
With a huffing belch of steam, smoke, and the squeal of iron on iron, the Hogwarts Express began, slowly, to move. Clouds of exhaust steam surrounded Ginny, momentarily obscuring her view of her husband and daughter. She shook off the brief anxiety; despite the hazards of Harry’s job, it really had been much quieter than their school years.
‘What was Harry talking to Al about?’ Hermione leaned closer, her quiet voice audible only to Ginny.
‘James started taking the mickey on Al being sorted into Slytherin the day his letter arrived. All because Al’s initials are a kind of snake,’ Ginny replied, with an annoyed glance at her brother Ron. ‘Al’s very fussed about it.’ The cloud of steam cleared, revealing her second son waving out the compartment window. Harry began walking alongside on the platform, Lily Luna trotting in front of him. ‘I need to catch up with them.’ Excusing herself from Ron and Hermione, she quickly joined Harry and Lily. The corners of her mouth quirked upwards, her small smile tinged with bittersweet happiness. Both her, their sons were off to Hogwarts now. Harry’s raised hand slowed its wave, his face in her peripheral vision reflected her own feelings.
‘He’ll be alright,’ she murmured, glancing at him. The fingertips of his lowering hand slowly slid along the scar on his forehead.
‘I know he will,’ he replied softly.
Ginny turned her face to his. ‘Is your scar hurting?’
Surprise flashed across his face. ‘What? No!’ he blurted, dropping his hand. ‘It’s-- Gin, it hasn’t hurt for 19 years now. That’s part of what I-- Al’s so fussed about maybe being sorted into Slytherin.’
She nodded, once. ‘What did you tell him?’
‘That he can tell the Sorting Hat he doesn’t want to be there.’ Harry smirked, then sobered. ‘And that if he is, we will still, always, love him.’
‘Good answer, Potter.’ Her eyes blazed affectionately. ‘After all, it worked for me.’ She tilted her head towards the platform exit in silent question, and he nodded.
Lily Luna’s small hand tugged her father’s, startling Harry. ‘Did you see him, Dad? Al waved at us until the Hogwarts Express went out of sight. Oh I can’t wait to go.’
Harry smiled, nodding. ‘Only two more years, Lily. It’ll go by faster than you know,’ Harry replied, chest twinging at how quickly his children were growing. They turned and strolled towards the exit from Platform 9¾. Harry glanced at his wife. ‘What do you mean, “it worked for me?”’
Ginny chuckled. ‘The Sorting Hat mentioned I could do well in Slytherin. I told it no, I wanted Gryffindor.’ Her face sobered. ‘Much, much later, when I started with the Harpies, I wondered if that was because of the Diary.’ Harry twined their fingers together, softly squeezing her hand.
‘You’ve never mentioned that. The things we learn on 1 September,’ he whispered, smiling. Returning his affection, she nodded.
The witch sitting inside the platform entrance waved people through as the magical view of the Muggle side showed moments clear of pedestrians. Martha Jones had been checking to make sure no Muggles would see magical folk leaving the Platform since the first year after the War. She looked up as the Potters approached. ‘Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Potter.’ She glanced at Lily. ‘So that’s two of yours off now, isn’t it.’
‘Yes, Martha, it is indeed,’ Ginny replied. ‘And haven’t I told you to call me Ginny?’
‘Yes, indeed, Mrs. Potter, you have.’ Martha smiled widely, ivory white teeth shining against her dark face. She turned to Lily. ‘How soon do you go off to Hogwarts, Miss Lily?’
‘Not soon enough!’ Lily replied with a huff, the adults all chuckling.
Martha studied her magical window and waved the Potters through. ‘Remember, Lily, no magic on the other side now,’ she said as they passed. Lily nodded solemnly.
On the Muggle side, they turned towards the exits leading to the A501. ‘I like the Express,’ Lily went on. ‘It’s exciting, and shiny!’ She slipped her hand from Harry’s and skipped two steps forward, bouncing as she turned around to walk backwards, facing her parents. ‘It’s as big as a dragon, and all the steam and the huffing make it sound like one too!’
‘Careful, Lily,’ Ginny started, Harry stepping forward to catch up with their daughter as they neared the corner of the platform starting a row of shops. As Lily passed the corner, a burly, round man with little neck above a khaki windbreaker stepped into her, both of them tumbling to the floor.
‘Bloody idiot, watch where you’re walking,’ the man blustered, glaring at Lily. Harry stepped up to offer his hand to help him up, then froze as the man turned to him. The prostrate blokes eyes widened in recognition. ‘You!’ he gasped. Several breaths passed.
‘Hello, Uncle,’ Harry replied, waving his hand. ‘Need a hand up?’
‘Vernon, are you all right,’ came a voice to their left as Ginny squatted to check on Lily. She looked past the frozen tableau at a horse-faced woman, whose eyes widened in astonishment. ‘You,’ the woman said quietly. Ginny glanced between Harry and the two older people.
‘Hello, Aunt Petunia,’ Harry said softly, then extended his hand to the man. Vernon, thought Ginny. Petunia. Harry’s relatives.
Ignoring Harry’s outstretched hand, Vernon started to gather his feet under him, complicated by his weight. Petunia started to help him, but he pushed her away. Harry dropped his hand to his side, watching. ‘What are you doing here, boy,’ Dursley grumped once he stood. Ginny, brushing Lily’s coat and calming her, bridled. She did notice Harry’s smile never wavered, even feeling his rising anger. Standing, she rested a hand on his shoulder, seeing a small nod acknowledging her.
‘Not sure you noticed, Uncle,’ he replied, his hand rising palm-up in front of him, ‘but I’m no longer a boy. But to answer your question, my wife Ginny and I just dropped our two sons off for the train to school.’ Ginny’s eyes narrowed at the rising purple color on Dursley’s face, thinking He needs to watch his blood pressure.
‘You mean that freak school you went to? I should have known.’
Lily Luna gasped, stepping forward with her hands on her hips and glaring at Dursley. ‘My brothers are not freaks!’ she shouted.
Dursley faced her, walrus mustache bristling. ‘Freak brats should be silent, and preferably not seen either.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You’re the one who knocked me down!’ He drew back his fist, and Ginny reached for her wand. Harry, standing closer, simply raised his left hand with all his fingers curled, tips touching thumb tip and resembling a chicken’s beak. ‘I’ll teach you what your excuse for parents won’t, to watch—’ Harry’s hand blurred as he jabbed his fingertips into Dursley’s neck, just below his Adams-apple and Dursley’s diatribe ended in ‘Urk!’ Petunia gasped.
Dursley turned his attention to Harry, eyes burning in anger, widening in surprise at the flair of blue light between and around Harry’s fingers. His mouth opened, lips moving, and… nothing. No sound. Fear burned his eyes as he tried to speak, no words leaving him.
‘What’s the matter, Uncle, cat got your tongue? Or maybe something else.’ Ginny’s eyes flashed to Harry’s preternaturally calm face.
Petunia shouted, ‘What did you do!?’
Harry turned to her. ‘I stopped your husband from striking a nine year old girl.’
‘You’ve no right,’ she hissed back.
‘Do you want to join him? I remember dodging frying pans and you locking the door to the cupboard under the stairs, you’re as culpable as he is.’ Ginny caught Lily’s eyes widening at that, quickly resting her hand on Lily’s shoulders and pulling her back against her legs.
Petunia snarled, ‘You aren’t supposed to use magic on us. I’ve a mind to inform your kind you used your wand on him.’
Harry smiled back. ‘But I didn’t use my wand, now did I? So you go right ahead and inform the Ministry.’
Petunia glared, Vernon’s lips moving silently between purpling cheeks. ‘Don’t think for a moment I won’t report you, you, you harridan!’
Harry continued smiling coldly. 'Would you like me to summon someone for you? Likely do you some good to learn it won’t do you much good.’ Confusion flashed across both Dursley’s faces briefly, then Vernon resumed silently blustering. ‘Do you know who I am in my world?’ Vernon Dursley drew himself up, mouthing clearly to anyone unable to read lips, Don’t Care.
Harry frowned. ‘Are you even in contact with Dudley and Aaron any more?’ Dursley’s face clouded. Petunia paled. ‘So not only has Dudley never told you what my job is, you don’t know they’ve adopted a daughter.’ Petunia’s silence chilled the air, Vernon shook his head no, once. ‘Thought as much. Well, Uncle, in my world I’m the Bobbie’s Bob, the Peeler’s Peel. Nobody’s going to question me about using magic
‘It’s like this, then,’ he continued, looking at both of the Dursleys. ‘There are consequences to your choices and actions. Whatever you did to me is water under the bridge. However, Vernon, you do not get to raise your fist to my daughter. If you want your voice back, you will sincerely apologize to both Lily Luna and Ginny for things you said and did. If you don’t, you remain mute. And when you go to a physician to fix it, they won’t find anything wrong. You’ll become your worst nightmare, because they’ll consider him a nutter.
‘And because I’ve dealt with a lot of liars in my line of work, I will know if your apology is not sincere. So, what’s it to be?’
He stood, waiting, and Ginny’s eyes shifted between the Dursley’s faces. She started to say something, and the single shake of Harry’s head kept her silent. Slowly, Vernon Dursley nodded. Harry reached out and patted his cheek, once, lightly. ‘Go ahead, then.’
‘Hem hem,’ Dursley cleared his throat. Ginny frowned at the similarity to another annoying individual, noting the relief in Dursley’s posture with the sound of at least that much voice. He looked at her, resentment in his eyes, and she wondered what he would say. ‘I… apologize for …’ He glanced at Harry, back to her and continued, ‘for my rudeness. It… I was surprised to stumble over you,’ he glanced at Lily Luna. Then he lapsed into silence, eyes flitting between the three Potters.
She exchanged a look, silent conversation with Harry, who nodded once. Turning back to Vernon Dursley, she smiled coldly. ‘Apology accepted. Now you two should be on your way.’ Dursley drew himself up, lips parting slightly, but Petunia linked her hand to his arm and urged them both into movement around the Potters.
‘Oh, and Uncle,’ Harry called when they reached a few steps away. They paused, turning to face back. ‘Keep in mind, if you start ranting about this again, that wipes out your apology. And I will know it.’
Petunia’s eyes widened briefly, then she turned and tugged on Vernon’s arm, starting him in motion away from the Potters again.
Ginny let out a soft sigh as they receded. ‘What an absolute prat and cow,’ she murmured.
‘They’re a piece of work, alright,’ Harry said. He looked at Lily, his gentle fingers under her chin lifting her face. ‘Are you alright, Lily Lu?’
‘Yes, Daddy.’ Lily smiled. ‘Are those rude people really your aunt and uncle?’
‘Lily!’ Ginny tut-tutted, and Lily turned her eyes down briefly under her look. Then her eyes met her mother’s with the same blaze.
‘But they are rude, Mum. I’m glad none of my aunts and uncles are like them.’
Harry chuckled. ‘So am I Lily Lu. So am I. Let’s go, we need to say goodbye to Kreacher and gather our things to go home.’ He took her hand, and the three started walking toward the exit again, heading to their destination at 12 Grimmauld Place.
GHGHGH
Ginny stepped off the bottom stair into Cymyran Cottage’s great room, smiling at Harry, sitting on the davenport by the hearth, reading. She glanced at the book title before sitting next to him. ‘So, learning something new in Aikido in Daily Life, there?’
Harry chuckled, closing the book after adjusting the slipcover to mark his place. ‘No, simply reviewing something,’ he replied, his arm resting across her shoulders, pulling her in close. She reached up, fingers grasping his chin lightly yet firm enough to turn his face to hers.
‘I suppose this time I should thank you for your gallantry today, before reminding you I can take care of myself,’ she said, bright brown eyes focused on emerald green.
Harry sighed. ‘I’m well aware,’ he whispered. ‘In fact I felt more fussed about you hexing my uncle. You would be in trouble then.’
‘About that.’ His silent regard held her as much as her blazing look, him. ‘You said to your relatives, there’s always consequences to your choices and actions. You need to remember that yourself.’
Harry’s brow creased in confusion. ‘Why?’
Ginny pursed her lips, forehead wrinkling in a frown. ‘Your aunt was right, you could be cited for misuse of magic in the presence of Muggles.’
‘Oh, that.’ Harry smirked. ‘There was very little magic, and none of it on him.’
Ginny shook her head. ‘I saw the flash of blue in your hand, Harry, and then he couldn’t speak.’
Harry nodded, then set his closed book on her lap. She glanced at it as he tapped the author’s name. ‘Kenshusei-Sensei explains that the bird-beak atemi strike causes different responses depending on how hard one uses it. It could be fatal, but the lesser impact I used only temporarily paralyses the larynx. He could breathe, though.’ He held up his hand, curled fingers touching thumb just like in King’s Cross. Blue light flared, then his fingers opened, hand rolling palm upwards with a small blue flame hovering above it. He closed his fist, extinguishing the flame.
‘He saw that blue light, and when he tried to speak, but couldn’t, is when I interrupted him with that question about the cat having his tongue.’ Harry grinned impishly. ‘All I did is plant a suggestion. He did all the rest, in his head. He believed I’d taken his voice with magic. But if any witch or wizard examined him, they would know he hadn’t been cursed.’
Ginny’s face relaxed into a small smile, her eyes still bright. ‘You pranked him!’ Harry nodded. ‘But there was still some magic, if your aunt got nasty.’
‘That bit of Hermione’s blue flame? Yes, and a variation on the Flame-Freezing charm to protect my hand. All minor, all on myself. And all wandless.’
Ginny shook her head slowly, ending with a gentle nod. ‘Right then, I’ll not worry about misuse of magic on a Muggle by the Head Auror.’ Her face grew serious again. ‘There’s more, though. Lily—’ She glanced back towards the stairs.
‘Where is Lily?’ Harry asked, his own brow creasing in concern.
‘Upstairs, in her bath.’ Ginny turned back to him, the grin on her face now mischievous. ‘She’ll be calling you when she’s ready for a bedtime story, yeah. But earlier, when we got home, she asked me where is our cupboard under the stairs. I explained our house doesn’t have one, since the stairs to our basement are right under the stairs up to the bedrooms. Then I asked her why she’s looking. She said she wanted to see how big Daddy’s was.’
Harry’s eyes widened in realization. ‘Oh.’ He sighed, once, a big breath. ‘She was listening to the whole thing.’
‘To her beloved daddy dealing with a curmudgeon, putting him in his place? Yes, she definitely did listen to that.’ Ginny traced the scar on his forehead lightly, then down around one of those deep green eyes, along his cheek. ‘She’s already got a strong sense of justice, Harry, you heard her defend her brothers.’
Harry sighed again, his own eyes rising to the stairs at the sound of his daughter calling his name.
Ginny tapping his cheek lightly brought his attention back to her. ‘And when she asks you about it, much as I love you, Potter.’ Ginny tapped his nose, once. ‘You will be on your own.’
Then she rested her head on his shoulder, taking in the scent of sandalwood soap, a hint of musky aftershave, and broom polish. She smiled at the brief memory, one of the few really good ones from her Sixth Year Potions class and Slughorn’s demonstration of Amortentia. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t hex him, actually.’ Her fingertips slid lightly over the scars on his right hand. I must not tell lies. ‘I sometimes wondered why you never introduced me to your aunt and uncle. Now I know why you didn’t.’
Harry let out a gusty sigh. ‘Yeah, I should have been happy to never see them again myself.’
‘Do you think they disowned Dudley, then? He’s not spoken of them either, granted we don’t spend a lot of time visiting him and Aaron.’
‘Based on their reactions, yeah, at least Vernon has. Wouldn’t have a buggering poof in the family.’ He sighed again. ‘Now they know about Sarah, I’m wondering if Petunia will try to contact them, though.’
The click of a door upstairs opening, then soft barefoot steps preceded Lily Luna’s voice. ‘I’m ready for story time, Daddy.’
‘I’ll be right up, Lily.’ He kissed Ginny softly. ‘Suppose I’d better select a book then,’ he said, standing.
‘No need,’ Ginny replied, brown eyes flaring. He paused at her impish look. ‘She’s already selected one.’
‘Do I want to ask which?’
Ginny shook her head. ‘Just remember what I said earlier, and you to your Uncle, about consequences to our choices and actions.’ With a wry grin, Harry nodded, and started up the stairs.
He turned right at the top, pausing at the open door to Lily’s bedroom. Lily sat in her bed, holding a thin book in her hands. She smiled when Harry leaned his head in, and patted the bed beside her. Sitting, he regarded her thoughtfully. ‘So, what do you have there?’
Her shy smile warned him; like her mother, ordinarily shy did not apply to his daughter. She held up a thin book, the paper slipcover ragged along top and bottom edges. Taking it, he read the title. The Boy Who Lived, by Greta Catchlove.
‘This is your mother’s book,’ he said, fingertips sliding lightly along the top edge. Green eyes met brown over the book. ‘And you know this one by heart already.’
Lily nodded, looking up at him through lowered eyelashes. ‘But it’s always better when you read it, Daddy. You give all the people their different voices.’ His heart melted at that, and he slowly opened the book, turning the pages, raising her expectations. Then…
‘In the small village of Godric’s Hollow lived a small family, a brave and skillful wizard, a brave and loving witch, and their wee boy, hiding from an evil, wicked mage.’ His voice unrolled the story slowly, bare hints of his humorous thoughts that Catchlove, indeed most of Wizarding Britain, did not know the “brave and skillful wizard” to also be an unregistered Animagus. Lily bounced excitedly, rearranging herself under her covers as Harry recounted the young family enjoying themselves, even in hiding. She gasped when the “evil, wicked mage” burst down the door to their house, cried when the young boy’s parents died trying to defend him. Her fist pumped, unseen under her duvet, when the wee boy stood defiantly and the evil mage died from his own curse, rebounding from an upraised hand, palm out.
‘Word soon spread of the evil mage’s death, and all the witches and wizards rejoiced that the dark times ended. But no one knew where the Boy Who Lived got off to, leaving peace and contentment behind him. The End.’ Harry closed the book with a soft sound of paper pressing, looking at Lily, now laying on her side, covers up to her shoulders.
Her bright brown-gold eyes returned his gaze. ‘That’s you in that story, isn’t it, Daddy. And Gramma Lily and Grandda James.’
‘You’ve never asked that before, Luv.’ He reached out, pushing some loose hair behind her ear. Buying time, remembering a conversation last week with Albus, another two years previous with James. They’d decided, during Ginny’s first pregnancy, they’d tell their children about their own years at Hogwarts, about the War, just before their first years started. They wanted to give their children what they’d not had, a normal life. Whatever “normal” meant.
But Lily inherited both her parents' curiosity, and a need to know things. He realized there wasn’t much putting this off, and nodded at the thought, This is another consequence of my choices today. ‘It’s supposed to be me, yes, but it isn’t. Not really. It’s like the writer said, no one knew exactly what happened that night. Really, it’s your grandparents, my Mum and Dad, that defeated the evil mage.’
Those brown-gold eyes, so very like her mother’s, focused in confusion on his own. ‘But Gramma and Grandda died, we’ve been to the churchyard there in Godric’s Hollow with you and Mum. They died, just like in the book,’ she whispered.
Harry nodded. ‘Yes. Grandda died protecting Gramma and me, he gave Gramma time to get to me. Gramma died protecting me. Because they loved me so much. And that’s what defeated the evil mage, his name was Tom Riddle even though he styled himself with a different made-up name. My parent’s love for me protected me that way.’
‘So where did you go then, Daddy?’
‘Albus Dumbledore, when he learned what happened, that my parents made that magical protection on me, took me to where the protection would last because of the family connections, because of that. To your Gramma’s sister’s home.’
‘That’s who we saw today, who I bumped into. They’re not very nice, Daddy.’
Harry chuckled, nodding. ‘Oh, you are right, Luv. That’s one of the odd things. Our family, Nana and Pop and your uncles and aunts, they are all wonderful. Sometimes, though, family members can be nasty. We don’t really have any control over that. We can’t choose who our family is.’
‘Did they really put you in a cupboard under the stairs? Mum says we don’t have one because of how our house is made. But there is that really small broom cupboard in the kitchen.’
Harry sighed, then nodded slowly. ‘Yes, the would put me in there. It’s a long story in one way, Lily. My uncle is actually very afraid of magic; it’s very different from what he grew up knowing. That’s no excuse for it, but it is part of the reason.’
Lily’s eyes creased, blazing bright and Harry again noted her likeness to Ginny. ‘And your aunt hit you with a frying pan!’
At that, Harry grinned and winked at her. ‘Oh, she tried, yes. She missed. Because I ducked.’
‘But they did hurt you sometimes.’ Recognizing a statement rather than a question, reluctantly, he nodded in reply. ‘Didn’t anyone do anything about that? That’s why Richard Bowen went to live with his cousins, the school nurse started an investigation because he broke his arms three times.’
Harry shook his head. ‘No. I lived there until I went to Hogwarts, and then during summer hols after my First Year. Like I said, Luv, it is a long story. But Professor Dumbledore wanted to make sure that magical protection lasted.’
‘Because of the evil mage? But you said Gramma and Grandda defeated him!’
‘That time, yes. Mum did especially. But he survived. But that’s a story for another night, yeah? It’s time for you to go to sleep now.’ He set the book down on the small chest of drawers next to her bed, under the table lamp. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead, and tucked the duvet up around her shoulders as she budged down, resting her head back on her pillow. ‘Good night, sleep tight,’ he said.
Lily Luna smiled back. ‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite,’ she replied. He stood, his wand pointing to the lamp. ‘Daddy, one more question.’ His hand paused, wand still raised. ‘Are they the same people that hurt Mum? The ones that gave her those scars on her back?’
Harry shook his head. ‘No. Until today, your Mum never met them. And like I said, that’s a story for a different night.’ He touched his free hand fingertips to his lips, then pressed those softly to his daughters. ‘Now go to sleep.’ Waving his wand, the light went out. He followed the path of light from the hallway on the floor to the door behind him. Turning with one last look at his daughter, catching her smile. He tapped his own eyes, saying, ‘Go to sleep.’
Lily closed her eyes, and with a soft click he pulled the door tight.
Turning, he grinned at Ginny at the other end of the hall, leaning against the door jamb to their bedroom. She’d changed into a lacy something, which covered everything and hid nothing. His birthday gift to her this year. Smirking, he slowly approached her, wand in his fingers at his side.
‘Like what you see, Potter?’ she asked, voice low, sultry.
He nodded as he stopped, almost touching her, looking down, then into golden flecks of fire in her brown eyes. ‘Yes, very much. A bit surprised, though, wasn’t expecting this after you sent me off to the coliseum, there, as it were.’
Her right hand touched his face lightly, fingers tracing his cheekbones, curling along his eyebrows, then up tracing the white lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. ‘Thought I might reward you for so bravely facing your consequences.’
He nodded, his own fingers now cupping her chin. ‘Before you do, though, did you listen to any of that?’ His head bobbed backwards a tad, pointing to Lily’s bedroom door. Her eyes followed, and she nodded.
‘Yes.’ Their eyes focused on each other again, a silent link between their souls, then a mutual gentle touch of foreheads. ‘I don’t think we’ll be able to wait until she gets her Hogwarts letter before we tell her the Whole Story,’ she whispered.
‘Well, no,’ he chuckled, ‘after all she is her mother’s daughter, curious and persistent.’
‘I’d call it her father’s daughter, more stubborn than a niffler after some gold,’ she replied with her own chuckle. She stepped back, taking his wand from his hand and setting it on the bedside stand. ‘But like you said, that’s a story for another day.’ She sat on the bed, the sheets pushed down, and slid to her side, patting his. ‘For now, come receive your hero’s reward.’