Renouncing Magic's Child

By twelve o'clock the next day... remaining until his return to Hogwarts.

The adults all frowned. The boy had so little. It was like he literally lived out of his school trunk.

The atmosphere inside number four... five o'clock the very next day.

"I probably shouldn't have taken the twins," Arthur muttered to himself.

"I hope you told them... their worst idea of wizards.

"Don't worry about us, Harry," Arthur said. "We can handle a little rudeness."

Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit... impressive and intimidating.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Dudley, on the other hand... present the same target to the enemy.

Amelia groaned. As awful as these muggles were, the way magicals had interacted with them, hadn't helped. First, Dumbledore leaving Harry on their doorstep with nothing but a note. And then Hagrid and that whole tail incident. It was no wonder they were a little hostile. Of course, that didn't excuse the way they treated Harry.

Lunch was an almost silent meal... "They'll be driving, of course?" Uncle Vernon barked across the table.

Mr Weasley frowned. He hadn't thought to warn them about how they would be arriving. In hindsight, that had been a mistake.

"Er," ... possibly he would do the same today?

"Probably not," Tonks said. "It's not easy to get those."

"Although, it should have been if they were picking up Harry," Kingsley said. He was thinking about how he'd guarantee Potter's safety in the future.

"I think so," ... even if he drove a Ferrari.

Hermione laughed. Her parents were secure financially but they couldn't afford a Ferrari.

Harry spent most of the afternoon... excitement and nerves.

Sirius grimaced. This should have been a happy occasion, not a reason to be anxious.

But five o'clock came and then went.

Arthur frowned. He knew they shouldn't have been late.

Uncle Vernon... "No consideration at all. "

Arthur sighed. He had intended to be on time.

"We might've had an engagement. "... -AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

Everyone sat bolt up right. What had happened?

Harry jumped up... which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it.

Amelia shook her head. This was why you didn't attach muggle residences to the floo network.

"What is it?" ... inside the blocked fireplace.

Sirius groaned. Nothing could ever go simply for Harry, could it?

"Ouch! Fred, no - go back... go back quickly and tell Ron -"

"Why did so many people come?" Remus asked. "You knew the muggles didn't like wizards. Wouldn't it have been better for you to just bring Ron?"

"Yes. That was a mistake," Arthur said with a grimace.

"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad... a pair of angry wolverines.

Young Harry actually flinched.

"What is this?" ... only you've blocked the fireplace - hang on -"

Sirius laughed. There was no point explaining the floo network. These muggles weren't interested. Harry was wasting his breath.

He approached the fireplace... You won't be able to get through there. "

"Please tell me you apparated your boys back one at a time and then returned for Harry," Amelia said. She had a sinking feeling that this was not going to go well.

"Er..." Arthur frowned. "Didn't think of that."

"Damn!" ... Gracious, I must see that...

Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes.

Let's think... we wanted to end up. "

George smiled at the thought of his twin.

"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here,"... Stand back, Harry. "

"Bad idea, Arthur," young Kingsley said with a sigh.

Harry retreated to the sofa... BANG.

"You know if you're going to blow a man's house up," Mr Granger said with a chuckle, "it's best to warn him."

He didn't like these Dursleys but he had to agree that magicals could be very disrespectful to muggles. He'd experienced it himself.

The electric fire shot across the room... who were identical to the last freckle.

George grimaced. It had always bothered him and Fred that even their own parents couldn't tell them apart.

"That's better," ... he had just aged thirty years.

"Not the best introduction," Arthur said with a sigh.

"Er - yes - sorry about that,"... he fixed it for me.

Amelia glared at Arthur. There was a reason muggle residences weren't supposed to be connected to the floo network. It seemed like everyone in the ministry thought they could bend the rules however they damn well pleased. And yet they still had the audacity to complain when other people did the same thing.

I can put it right in a jiffy... hid behind Uncle Vernon.

"It's no wonder they're scared of magicals," young Harry said, "if every interaction is like this."

He almost felt sorry for his aunt and uncle.

"This is why the parents of muggle raised children need some sort of program to introduce them to the magical world," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"That would be very useful," Mr Granger agreed. "It was overwhelming when we learned about Hermione's magic. Not only was there this whole other world that we didn't know about. But there were diseases that we didn't know existed that could kill our daughter. New laws to be aware of. A whole different educational program. It was a lot to take in."

Mrs Granger nodded. "And if we knew about it sooner, we'd have been more prepared for dealing with Hermione's accidental magic."

"Hello, Harry!" ... they had heard a lot about him from Harry.

"You know us so well," George said.

"Well," said Mr. Weasley... "Very - erm - very nice place you've got here. "

Several people laughed. He'd just blown up their house. Now was not the time to compliment it. Even Mrs Weasley gave her husband an exasperated look.

As the usually spotless living room... My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you are. "

"I think Uncle Vernon thought you were mad too," Harry said with a chuckle.

Uncle Vernon clearly thought Mr. Weasley was mad too.

Harry nodded. Point proven.

He moved ever so slightly to the right... nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.

A couple of the kids in the chamber sniggered.

"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?" ... still harder over his massive backside.

The children laughed again but the adults in the chamber didn't look impressed. Wizards - Hagrid in particular - had traumatised this muggle child. While they didn't like the boy, they couldn't condone that.

Fred and George came back into the room... Their faces cracked into identical evil grins.

Mrs Weasley glared at George.

"Ah, right," said Mr. Weasley... the wall behind him.

"And now your setting a fire in their house," Mr Granger said. "I can promise you they won't like that. Not when they don't understand what you're doing."

He didn't bother to say that he didn't think these people would appreciate it even if they did understand. But the average muggle... Sometimes, wizards needed a little lesson in explaining magic to muggles. Because they seemed to mess that up frequently.

Flames rose at once in the fireplace... big, fat toffees in brightly colored wrappers.

Mrs Weasley looked ready to breathe fire and Harry was sure that if Fred was still alive, he'd be on the receiving end of one of his mother's famous rants.

Fred scrambled around... Fred vanished.

Young Harry grinned. He couldn't wait to try that.

"Right then, George," ... Now Harry and Mr. Weasley alone remained.

Harry grimaced. This had been awkward.

"Well. . . 'bye then," ... "Didn't you hear him?"

Both Harrys laughed.

"It doesn't matter," ... "Surely you're going to say good-bye?"

"Probably better if they don't," young Harry muttered.

Uncle Vernon's face worked furiously... "Good-bye, then. "

Amelia frowned. Perhaps the general populace needed lessons in how to appear less threatening to muggles, if even Arthur Weasley could instill this much fear. The man was as gentle as they came.

No one said anything about the muggles' terrible manners. They were beginning to expect it.

"See you," ... and Aunt Petunia started to scream.

"What happened?" young Lee asked.

"The twins happened," Arthur said with a sigh.

Harry wheeled around... toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him.

Amelia and the aurors all glared at George. Attacking a muggle? What were they thinking?

Aunt Petunia hurled herself... Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.

The children in the chamber were laughing hysterically - or at least most of them were.

Moody growled, "I think we might need to add a new lesson to the schedule on interacting with muggles." He would not allow an entire generation of magicals to grow up thinking this was okay.

"Not to worry, ... his wand outstretched,

"Should have called the DMLE and we'd have handled it, Arthur," Amelia said with a sigh. The twins would have gotten a warning but really, they deserved it.

but Aunt Petunia screamed worse... but it's only an Engorgement Charm -

"They don't know what that is," Kingsley said with a sigh.

at least, I think it is ... shatter in the blasted fireplace.

The aurors all shook their heads. This was going to escalate. They needed a magical reversal team. Yes, it was simple enough magic but the muggles weren't going to cooperate and so it would be better to stun all three, fix the child and then obliviate the lot of them for good measure. This was just one more traumatic experience with magicals that they didn't need.

"Now really!" ... "I'm trying to help!"

A couple people laughed at that. He was the one that brought magic into their house. If he thought the muggles would cooperate he was dreaming.

Bellowing like a wounded hippo... "I'll sort this out!"

George frowned. He hadn't realised things had gotten this bad. Perhaps that toffee hadn't been the best idea after all.

Harry didn't want to miss the fun,

"FUN?" Mrs Weasley screeched. "Attacks on muggles are not fun!"

Sirius glared at her. Who was she to shout at his godson?

Harry just rolled his eyes. "While in general, I agree with you, at fourteen, seeing your bully hurt is always fun. Well, fun might not be the right word. But it's a nice feeling. Like you suddenly realise that maybe karma is real."

Several people nodded. They could understand that. It was the same feeling you got on the battlefield when you took down an opponent that has previously gotten the better of you.

but Uncle Vernon's second ornament... a rush of emerald-green flames.

George wasn't looking at anyone. In hindsight that really hadn't been funny at all. He and Fred had always prided themselves on knowing not to cross the line, but apparently they didn't always get it right.