Renouncing Magic's Child

Harry was relieved when the children returned from the other chamber, talking animatedly about goblins and merpeople and centaurs. Harry had clearly enjoyed himself. But his older self still noticed the way, the boy seemed to glance about as if looking for his relatives. They sat as far away from the Dursleys as possible at dinner time. Both Petunias were refusing to eat and the two Vernons did so grudgingly. All four of them watched on in concern as both Dudleys happily ate the food in front of them. The two Harrys were quick to leave after dinner, choosing to spend the night in their own chambers away from prying eyes. Neither boy slept particularly well, both worried about the Dursleys and older Harry feeling especially concerned for what was due to happen next in the book. He didn't want to have to relive everything that happened in the graveyard.

He struggled enough talking about it. He didn't like even thinking about it. Reading about it would be awful.

But morning came quicker than Harry expected, seeing as how he had barely managed to get an hour or two of sleep. Harry went through the motions of his defense lesson and ate his breakfast in silence. The Dursleys were not particularly willing to listen to the book, but they seemed to have been temporarily scared into silence. Sirius and Remus sat close to the two Harrys, eyeing the Dursleys with distaste. The Dursleys for their part had hidden in one corner of the chamber, trying to stay away from all the others.

"Dumbledore reckons ... a relief to siphon them off.

Albus smiled sadly. That was not something a child should ever understand. Having too many thoughts was not a good thing.

Ron stared into the common room ... he knows he was a Death Eater?"

There was grumbling coming from the teachers and Severus wondered what he had done to offend his colleagues in the future.

"Yes," ... done with a Pensieve.

Hermione smiled briefly. A pensieve would be very helpful. She considered all the ways she could use one to study.

"Rita Skeeter," ... information to the Death Eaters.

Rita smirked.

And Winky too, remember ... talked about it at home."

The aurors were nodding in agreement. Although, they didn't think Bagman was the issue the children should be focusing on. There was an impostor at Hogwarts.

"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass ... turning back to Harry.

The aurors rolled their eyes. Again, Madame Maxime was not the problem.

"Yeah," said Harry, ... she doesn't want to admit it-"

"Who would?" Hagrid said gruffly. "With how prejudiced wix are?"

"Of course she doesn't," ... telling the truth."

People all around the chamber nodded their agreement. Vernon was muttering under his breath about magic and giants and freaks. But no one paid him any mind at all. Mostly, the wixen in the chamber seemed to have decided it was best to pretend the Dursleys were not there at all.

Hermione looked at her watch ... you need to get some sleep."

Sirius frowned. They didn't have a lot of time left before the third task. They couldn't afford to waste time.

Harry and Ron went slowly ... about Neville's parents.

"Thank you, Harry," Neville said quietly.

Harry shrugged off the appreciation. It was the least he could do.

As Harry took off ... unable to recognize you.

Neville grimaced as eyes all around the chamber turned towards him.

He often got sympathy ... He understood how they had felt...

The Longbottoms didn't speak. Augusta sighed heavily, holding her grandson's hand tightly.

Then he remembered ... died a year later...

"Or not," Moody growled.

It was Voldemort, ... who had ruined all these lives..

Tom sighed. The child wasn't wrong. This was all his fault.

Ron and Hermione were supposed ... these hexes in class."

"Who are you?" George asked. "And what have you done with Hermione?"

"Good training for when we're all Aurors," ... excited and tense again.

"Everyone was talking about the third task," Theo said with a sigh. "It made studying next to impossible."

Everyone was looking ... prepare himself for what lay ahead.

"That's true enough," Seamus said with a grin. "Your years at Hogwarts prepared you for this one."

Tired of walking in on Harry ... she had looked up the counter-jinx.

"All good choices," Tonks said.

"You're still doing really well, ... "What's Malfoy doing?"

Draco grimaced. He was pretty much guaranteed to get in trouble with his parents for whatever Weasley had spotted him doing.

Harry and Hermione went to see ... using a walkie-talkie," said Harry curiously.

"What's a walkie-talkie?" Arthur asked.

Young Hermione briefly explained the concept to the older wizard.

"He can't be," ... don't work around Hogwarts.

"I didn't say he was," Harry said with a sigh. "Only that it looked like it."

Come on, Harry," ... "let's try that Shield Charm again."

Draco sighed in relief. Although, his parents were certainly watching him closely, both looking suspicious.

Sirius was sending daily owls ... his power to influence it.

Sirius was nodding his head in agreement with his older self.

If Voldemort is really ... our attention to other matters.

"Keeping you safe always comes first," Sirius murmured in Harry's ear.

Harry's nerves mounted ... an enormous relief.

Harry snorted. Yeah, some relief.

Breakfast was a very noisy affair ... pumpkin juice all over it.

The adults all groaned. What now?

"What?" ... "Rita Skeeter again?"

Rita looked particular pleased with herself. Her younger self looked almost fearful at what the book would say next. She just hoped she could fix whatever damage her older self had caused.

"No," said Ron, ... the Slytherin table.

Lucius sighed. He was seriously wondering if he and his wife needed to attend parenting classes.

"Hey, Potter! Potter! ... seats to see Harry's reaction.

Severus glared at his godson.

"Let me see it," ... beneath the banner headline:

"Something really needs to be done about this," Remus said.

"I'll be handling it," Arcturus said. He would not allow his grandson's privacy to be dismissed like this.

"HARRY ... DANGEROUS"

"Disturbed and dangerous?" Sirius said coldly, pulling out his wand. "I'll give you disturbed and dangerous."

Harry had to pull him back, with the help of Severus.

The boy who defeated ... attend Hogwarts School.

"Where the hell did she get an idea like that?" young Arthur demanded.

Draco blushed. He was at least partly to blame for this article.

Potter, the Daily Prophet ... attempted to kill him).

"How did she know about that?" Amelia asked.

On Monday last, ... too badly to continue studying.

"She wasn't there," Tonks said. "Was she?"

"The window was open," Moody growled. "And her animagus form would certainly lend itself to sneaking about."

It is possible, ... his deep-seated confusion.

"Deep seated confusion?" Claudius asked. "No healer worth their salt would talk to a reporter about a minor."

The other mind healers seemed to be in agreement with him.

"He might even ... a plea for attention."

"Oh, Merlin," young Minerva grumbled.

The two Vernons were smirking. "See even the freaks think he's an attention seeking brat," Vernon told his wife.

She shushed him, not wanting to draw the ire of the wizards to her family.

The Daily Prophet, ... a Hogwarts fourth year.

Lucius sighed. He already knew about this. He had written to Draco about it at the time. Although he hadn't been particularly focused on curbing his behaviour. Not when his mark was darkening. He had been half tempted to grab his family and run. But that wouldn't have saved them, so he'd been making counter-plans. Not that any of them had helped at all.

"There were a lot of attacks ... set a snake on another boy.

"Funny," Justin said. "Seeing as you are the one that cast the spell."

It was all hushed up, ... anything for a bit of power."

Draco grimaced. He should really apologise again but if he kept apologising he'd never stop.

Parseltongue ... associated with evildoers.

"Prejudiced fools," Amelia huffed.

Similarly ... a fondness for violence."

"Harry isn't violent!" Hagrid complained loudly as he struggled to ignore the way Vernon Dursley was laughing.

Albus Dumbledore should surely ... takes place this evening.

"YOU BITCH!" Mrs Weasley screeched at Rita. "He was a child. Just a child."

"He's a public figure," Rita argued. "The people have a right to know..."

"He has a right to his privacy!" Sirius got to his feet. "He was only fourteen."

Arcturus grinned maliciously at the woman. "If I have my way, you won't have a job when we return."

"Now, just a moment," young Rita said. "I haven't done any of this. And I certainly don't intend to."

Arcturus actually laughed. "You expect us to trust you?"

"Well, no," Rita admitted. "But I'd appreciate being given the benefit of the doubt. Everyone else is getting a second chance, why not me too?"

Arcturus considered that. The problem was he didn't really feel like giving her a second chance. "There will be no articles about my grandson in any news publications that are not pre-approved by me."

The witch nodded at that. Although she had noticed that he'd avoided saying that he'd be kind enough to approve something she wrote. She had a sinking feeling that he'd refuse her articles on principle.

"Gone off me a bit, ... folding up the paper.

Rita gaped at the book. She'd expected a better reaction than that.

Over at the Slytherin table, ... waggling their tongues like snakes.

"The school definitely needs more teachers," Pomona said. "Were any of us there?"

The other teachers were all grimacing, thinking the exact same thing.

"How did she know ... "I opened it to breathe."

"The wards really need updating if reporters can get in without anyone knowing," Kingsley said in concern.

"You were at the top ... "You tell me how she did it!"

Several people sighed. One thing they would not miss when they finally finished these books was all the childish bickering.

"I've been trying!" ... ran her fingers through her hair.

"That's the moment she worked it out," Ron said with a grin.

"Not that she shared her suspicions with us," Harry grumbled.

"Are you all right?" ... Harry and Ron stared at each other.

"I thought she'd spilled her upper cauldron," Ron said, tapping his head.

"I've had an idea," ... just to make sure!"

The aurors had to admit the girl was impressive. Very intelligent. Although she was definitely not suited to being an auror. Aurors had to work in pairs. They knew better than to handle a case alone. Even research was done together. It was the only way to ensure yours and your partner's safety.

With that, Hermione seized her school bag ... do in Binns's class - read again?"

"I was using every spare moment to study for the task," Harry said.

Exempt from the end-of-term tests ... after breakfast," she said.

Harry smiled over at Mrs Weasley. That had been a pleasant surprise. He hadn't imagined for one moment that she would come to watch the task.

"But the task's not till tonight!" ... a chance for you to greet them."

"That's a rather insensitive thing to say," Sirius huffed.

She moved away ... does she?" he asked Ron blankly.

"Like we'd ever come to that flea ridden school of yours," young Vernon said gruffly.

"Dunno," ... didn't want to go into the chamber.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter," Minerva said softly. "I didn't think."

He had no family ... Cedric stuck his head out.

Several of the adults looked close to tears and Harry grimaced because the pitying looks were back.

"Harry, come on, ... opened the door into the chamber.

One or two people laughed at the idea of the Dursleys at Hogwarts.

Cedric and his parents ... front of the fireplace, beaming at him.

Sirius smiled, nodding to Molly. He mouthed a quick thank you.

"Surprise!" ... incredible against the Horntail."

Charlie nodded. "He was. I thought we'd have to intervene but he handled it perfectly."

Fleur Delacour, Harry noticed ... earrings with fangs on them.

Both Fleurs blushed brightly. Fleur couldn't believe how observant Harry was.

"This is really nice of you," ... every time they were mentioned.

"Well, I tried to be polite about it," Mrs Weasley said. "But anyone could see they weren't good people."

Vernon and Petunia took offense to that. "How dare you!" Petunia started.

"One word," Molly screeched. "Cupboard!"

Petunia practically snarled.

"Anyone who keeps a child in a cupboard deserves to rot, if you ask me," Molly said.

"No one asked you," Vernon retorted.

"It's great being back here," ... Sir Cadogan?"

The Gryffindors all groaned.

"Oh yeah," ... at four in the morning -"

"What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning?" Minerva asked, mouth agape.

Molly chose not to answer, eyes twinkling.

"What were you doing ... a nighttime stroll," she said.

"A nighttime stroll?" George asked disbelievingly. "That's a euphemism if I've ever heard one."

"He got caught ... your father's still got the marks."

That got a round of laughter from the adults. They remembered the old caretaker.

"Fancy giving us a tour ... looking Harry up and down.

Amos frowned. He hadn't be particularly kind to the prince that day.

"Bet you're not feeling ... "What?" said Harry.

Sirius growled. Why did people seem to forget that his son was only a child?

"Ignore him," ... the only Hogwarts champion."

Amos blushed.

"That was stupid of you," Blaise said, folding his arms. "Anyone with any sense knows what Skeeter is like."

"Didn't bother to correct her ... Mrs. Weasley and Bill.

"How was I supposed to do that?" Harry asked seriously. "She wouldn't have listened to me. No one ever does."

"Still ... working at the Ministry!"

"Exactly!" Blaise huffed. Potter dealt with enough drama with the kids at school, he didn't need adults picking on him too.

Mr. Diggory looked ... turned away.

"I apologise, Prince Myrrddin," Amos said. "I.. Well, I don't really have an excuse."

Harry had a very enjoyable ... "Not good," said Bill.

Percy grimaced. He was surprised that Potter had asked after him.

"He's very upset," ... Cornelius Fudge is going to be doing it."

"They thought I should have realised something was wrong," Percy said. "But nothing changed. He was still calling me Weatherby and everything. They were very consistent."

They returned to the castle ... How was your exam?"

"That was weird," Ron said. "I never expected to see my mother at the Gryffindor table."

"Oh... okay," ... Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard."

That got a laugh from the Goblin King who had decided that he would join the wixen this morning. He liked the young prince and he was going to help him in any way he could.

Fred, George, and Ginny ... "Are you going to tell us -?"

"Not bloody likely," Ron muttered. Hermione was very secretive.

Hermione shook her head ... much more stiffly than usual.

The adults all turned to Mrs Weasley. What was that about?

"Hello," ... Because Hermione's not my girlfriend."

Arthur shook his head in disappointment. Sometimes, Molly could be very foolish.

"Really?" Minerva said, her tone stern. "What happened to all that talk about Rita?"

Molly blushed. "I'm very sorry, my dear."

"Oh!" ... warmer toward Hermione after that.

The adults sighed. People everywhere believed the daily prophet far too much. Themselves included.

Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley ... didn't eat much.

"Perfectly understandable," Poppy said. "But you'll need your energy."

As the enchanted ceiling overhead ... and silence fell.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this," Sirius told Severus.

Harry heard him and silently agreed with him. "I hope you've got a batch of calming draught to hand, professor."

Severus nodded his head. He was prepared. And based on the look Potter was giving him, his preparations would be necessary.