The Aftermath
Charles
Charles woke up groggily and tried to rub his eyes, but his arms were too heavy.
And then his vision was obscured by a mass of red hair. He blinked. And blinked again. The tear-streaked face of Lily Potter swam into view above him.
"Don't you dare ever pull a stunt like that again, Charles Sirius Potter!" Lily cried. Charles stared at her and then remembered: "Mum, the Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Mum, quick-"
"Calm yourself, son, you are a little behind times," James Potter smiled from his place beside Lily as he patted his hand tenderly. "Quirrell doesn't have the Stone."
"Then who does? Dad, I -"
"Charles, please relax, or Poppy will have us all thrown out."
He swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed beside Harry's, where his brother seemed to be unconscious, and beside them were their parents, Sirius, Jéricho, and Lyra. Next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.
Harry suddenly gasped and spluttered as he became conscious. Lily gave him a bear hug, too, and James patted him on the arm. Sirius just ruffled his hair. "You okay, pup?"
Harry nodded, swallowing, and croaked. "Water." Lyra quickly complied.
"Ah, good to see you're both awake," said Dumbledore, beaming, as he entered the room. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe, Harry, that your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you, which I don't doubt. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."
Harry choked out a laugh. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Sera tried to talk sense into them, but you know how they are." Jéricho grinned. "And Adrian and I might have tried to help them."
Charles asked, "How long have we been in here?"
"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."
"But sir, the Stone I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. Thanks to Harry and Jéricho, who managed to blast Quirell into a wall as you collapsed. I arrived in time to see Harry also crumble. I must say, though, that you were doing very well on your own."
"You got there?"
"I did. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I was accosted by Mr. Pucey, who told me how Harry and Jéricho had gone through the trapdoor. I was, naturally, not expecting to see you, Charles."
"Yeah, we must have just missed Pucey, I suppose. We were under the cloak, you see-"
"-how'd you get it?" James asked suspiciously as Lily dangerously narrowed her eyes.
Harry cleared his throat. "I'm at fault for that, dad. I kinda, uh, lent the cloak to him for the term as compensation for not being able to buy him a Christmas gift. It was clearly a fault, though," he turned to glare at Charles.
Charles winced slightly, averting his gaze guiltily. "How did you know we were going to be there?" Jéricho asked mildly.
"I kinda sneaked in on your conversation-"
"That's it!" Harry scowled. "As soon as we get out of here, I want my cloak back."
Charles sighed but nodded. "Anyway, the harp was going on, so Fluffy was asleep."
"In case you suspect, yes, it was my doing. At least, I extended its playtime after Quirell left it there."
"Right." Charles continued on with his story, till he reached the part where he entered the last chamber. Lily interrupted here. "What were you boys doing, chatting him up?" she glared at Harry and Jéricho, who shrugged.
"Trying to get him talking. And might I say, he was perfectly pleasant company till Charles appeared and he had to tie us."
Sirius snorted. "Only you can find a wizard in Voldemort's possession 'pleasant company'."
The story continued again, with some interruptions. They learned that just like Charles' scar, Harry had felt pain in his chest and his lungs had felt pressured.
"Sir," Harry said, "we both feel pain in different areas whenever we're near Voldemort. The same thing happened in the forest too-"
"Forest?" Lily asked sharply. "What d'you mean?"
"Um..." Jéricho cleared his throat. "We - that is to say, us three and Malfoy - got detention for being out of bounds late at night-"
"No surprise there," James mumbled.
"And it was with Hagrid in the forbidden forest. We had to find whatever was killing unicorns, and we did - at least, Charles and Harry did. They say it was Voldemort. Charles felt a sharp pain in his scar, and Harry in his chest."
"And it seems Harry's are more serious," Charles added. "I mean, he almost passed out the last time, and was weak and pale for a week. I got pains too, but they were more annoying than anything. Harry looked like he was having trouble breathing at times."
"Oh, my baby!" Lily cried as she squeezed Harry. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Charles squashed the momentary irritation he felt as Harry got everyone's attention. Harry was still weak, and it wasn't his fault. Besides, he had potentially saved Charles down in the chamber.
"Hmm..." Dumbledore hummed. "I may have a theory. I believe that the night Charles vanquished Voldemort, a connection formed between them through Charles' cursed scar. As for Harry's pains, I have no clue as to the reason."
"What happened to the Stone?" Charles suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had formed. "It has been destroyed."
"Destroyed?" Charles asked blankly. "But your friend - Nicolas Flamel -"
"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."
"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"
"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."
"With all due respect, sir," Harry said in a sickly sweet voice, "that's bullshit, and you know it."
Everyone seemed shocked at Harry's words, except Jéricho, who looked quite determined. Even Dumbledore seemed surprised. "Whatever do you mean, my dear boy?"
"You know perfectly well what, Headmaster." Harry glowered. "What we went for was a fake. And if I had to guess, I'd say that the real stone is still safe with Flamel."
"Oh?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. He seemed calm, but the twinkle in his eye had dimmed. "And from where did you get such an idea?"
"We're not idiots, sir." Jéricho cut in. "It isn't hard to figure out that you clearly wanted someone to reach the last chamber. If the obstacles were easy enough for a first-year, then what challenges did they pose Voldemort? And you all but invited everyone to come and have a peek when you announced that the third corridor was forbidden. Fred and George, and Cedric and Adrian went with Harry to check it out, for example, and I bet many others did, too."
"But you aren't evil, no matter what." Harry continued. "Manipulative, yes. But not evil. You wouldn't want the real stone to get in the hands of Voldemort, no matter what. So it was pretty obvious that the stone was a fake."
Harry gave a cheeky grin. "We figured it out earlier, but we'd reached the chamber till then. Maybe it was reckless, but we went ahead, still. I wanted to see whether it was Snape there, or Quirell."
Dumbledore had lost his twinkle by now. "Congratulations, Messers Potter and Black. I forgot that you are both exceptionally bright. Yes, I admit that the stone was a fake. It was supposed to be a trap, but unfortunately, you students caught up very fast and went in yourselves."
"What the hell, Albus?" Lily demanded. "You put my boys and godson in danger to set a trap?"
Before Dumbeldore could answer, Jéricho smiled. "It was fun, though. The obstacles. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to play chess, so we flew over it and blasted the door down."
Charles gasped. "We didn't think of that! Ron was injured in the game!" Then he remembered. "How is he? He's not hurt, is he?"
"No, he isn't," Dumbledore assured him.
"Sir?" Charles asked. "Save the stone, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone."
"No, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."
As Dumbledore stood to leave, Charles said, "And sir, there's one more thing... How did I get the fake Stone out of the mirror?"
"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them -- but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"
He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"
"Dumbledore," James said tightly. "I think we should talk."
"In my office, it is, then."
Harry
Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. Charles had already been released a day ago, but Harry had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. Their friends had visited him, and he'd filled them in on everything. At the moment, they were all sitting on their own house tables.
The Great Hall was decked out in Ravenclaw colors to celebrate Ravenclaw's winning the house cup for the fourth year in a row. A huge banner showing the eagle covered the wall behind the High Table.
When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Fred and George at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. Charles grinned at him from across him, leaning to whisper, "They were the same with me last night."
Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts..."
"Now," He continued, "as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Slytherin has four hundred and twenty-six and, Ravenclaw has four hundred and forty-two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Ravenclaw table.
"Yes, Yes, well done, Ravenclaw," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
The room went very still. The Ravenclaw's smiles faded a little.
"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..." Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house twenty points."
Gryffindor's cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"
At last, there was silence again. "Second -- to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house thirty points."
Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Charles patted her on the back, grinning widely. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were forty points up already, tied with Hufflepuff.
"Third - to Mr. Charles Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house forty points."
The shouts came back in full force. They were in third place now, so they wouldn't have to be fourth...
"To Mr. Adrian Pucey..." there were a few gasps as a Slytherin was receiving points, but Harry caught his friend's eye and smiled. "For knowing when and what exactly to do at the correct time, I award him ten points."
The Slytherins clapped and whistled, but it wasn't very enthusiastic. They were still second.
"To Mr. Jéricho Black, for being fiercely loyal even in a possibly life-threatening situation, I award him twenty points."
There were, again, cheers, but not too many. "To Mr. Harry Potter..." it went mute again. "For using wit to make even Rowena Ravenclaw proud, and being courageous enough to stand for your friends and family even in excruciating pain, I award Gryffindor fifty points."
The Gryffindors yelled themselves hoarse while hounding Harry. Those who could add up knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and fifty-two points; in first place tied with Ravenclaw. The din was deafening. If only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up for our friends, but even more so for people we dislike... I award all Lyra Black, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, and Ronald Weasley ten points each, as well as Fred and George Weasley, Serafina Greengrass, and Cedric Diggory each ten points.
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. They all stood up and started shouting. Harry sent up colorful sparks and the kind, along with a few bangs, while the twins set up fireworks.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating, "we need a little change of decoration."
He clapped his hands. In an instant, the blue hangings became scarlet and the bronze became gold; the huge Ravenclaw eagle vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Flitwick was shaking McGonagall's hand with a beaming smile.
That night, they had a huge party in the common room, with the elder ones even sneaking Fire-whiskey.
To no one's surprise, Harry was the best in DADA and had excellent marks in everything else, except for Astronomy, which he only just passed. His friends all did great, too. Both Charles and Ron passed with good marks, too, something they were very proud of. Charles had topped Transfiguration, even. Lyra had topped Potions, coming in second over-all. Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("that's just a protocol" Harry winked at Hermione. "Magic can't be traced through a person; only their locations. That's why magic can be used in magical households during summer." Hermione had been very cross, as this was unfair on Muggle-borns, but oh well...); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.
It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.
"You must come and stay this summer," Ron told Hermione, "I'll send you an owl. Charles is always dropping by."
"Thanks," Hermione said. People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Charles, Ron, and Hermione scanned the platform together. "There he is, Mom, there he is, look!"
It was Euphemia, and she was pointing at Charles. She came barreling into him and hugged him, grinning. The rest of the Potters followed behind her, chuckling at her antics.
"Where's Harry?" Monty asked, and Charles realized that Harry was indeed not there with them.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, he's back with his friends. He'll be here in a second."
And so they bid each other goodbye and left.