A Minor Explosion
After dinner that evening everyone returned to the main chamber for another lecture, but Lucius was sitting, gazing into the fireplace.
"You realise that when we finish this book tomorrow," he began, cutting into multiple conversations, "we'll be nearly half way through these books."
Everyone gaped at him. He wasn't wrong. Book Harry was nearly half way through his Hogwarts education already.
"We should probably begin to think about what changes need to be made," he said thoughtfully.
"Perhaps this should be discussed after the children have gone to bed," Mrs Weasley suggested haughtily.
"Why?" Harry asked, working hard to mask his fury. "They're going to know everything we know when we go back anyway."
"I was including you in that, Harry my dear," Mrs Weasley said.
"Mum, you can't be serious!" Ron exclaimed.
"I'm not a child," Harry said, wishing he didn't sound quite so petulant. "Haven't you learned anything from these books? Keeping me in the dark is a mistake. And what's more you have no right. I'm of age. I have a right to know what's going on."
"And in case anyone has forgotten," Lucius said coolly, "Harry is Magic's Chosen. He is our reigning monarch. No decisions should be taken without his support."
"They are children!" Mrs Weasley huffed.
"I haven't been a child since..." Harry began. He wasn't sure when he stopped being a child. Perhaps around the time Quirrell died? But his entire so called childhood had been a clusterfuck of disaster and he wasn't willing to repeat it if things weren't going to change. "If I'm old enough to fight in a war, I'm old enough to put the world I live in, the world I fought for, THE WORLD I DIED FOR, back together again."
"I never wanted you to fight!" Mrs Weasley said stubbornly.
"Guess what, Mrs Weasley. Life isn't fair. We often don't get what we want." Harry could feel his temper rising. He wasn't going to be able to control it for much longer. Was she seriously trying to push him out of this?
"Harry stays," Sirius said sternly.
"Well. Of course, you'd say that," Mrs Weasley huffed.
"Enough, Molly," Arthur said with a sigh. "You've expressed your concern. But Harry is not your son and as he's already stated he is an adult and can make up his own mind."
"But Arthur!"
Harry laughed. "You don't get it, do you?"
Mrs Weasley blinked at him.
"You're part of the problem," Harry said coldly. "You're so hell bent on wrapping everyone in cotton wool that you can't contemplate that sometimes the best defense is being prepared. You just want the children to sit back and let the adults do everything, but it didn't work in the war and it isn't going to work now."
"And why is that, Harry?"
"Because you don't see the issues," Harry said. "You don't see how your own actions make the problems worse. Not better."
"I hardly think I'm to blame for all this," Mrs Weasley grumbled.
"WE ALL ARE!" Harry shouted, his temper finally getting the better of him. "YOU! ME! LUCIUS FUCKING MALFOY! WE'RE ALL THE SAME. WE'RE ALL TO BLAME!"
Mrs Weasley looked ready to explode with anger. Harry had never shouted at her like that before.
"Perhaps we should table this discussion for tomorrow after we finish the book," Albus said, trying to soothe the situation.
"I really don't think there's anything to discuss," Sirius said. "Harry is the Prince. That's all there is to it. We shouldn't be trying to exclude him. Instead we should be feeling damn well grateful that he's willing to include us in his plans for our world."
"Here here!" several of the younger ones called out.
"He'll be eleven when he goes back," Mrs Weasley said.
"But I'm almost eighteen now," Harry countered.
"You won't be able to do anything when you're eleven, Harry," Mrs Weasley said. "Don't you see that. Your main job will be going to school, getting a good education and having fun."
"Right. But that doesn't mean that adult me can't help decide what the other adults will do before I can make changes myself. Or are you telling me you're all just going to sit on your hands until I finish school?" Harry was seething. It was taking all his energy not to scream at the woman.
"Of course not. But that's for the adults to decide!"
"I'M AN ADULT FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Harry shouted. "WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT THAT FOR YOU TO COMPREHEND?" Harry turned on his heals and left the chamber.
"Just to clarify," Lucius said, his voice dripping honey, "My family and I will not discuss any changes to our world without the prince present."
Then he and his younger self guided their family out of the chamber.
Andromeda got to her feet. "Neither will mine."
The entire Tonks family left the chamber too.
Surprisingly, Albus followed next, the two Abe's close on his heels.
One by one, everyone left the chamber until only a handful of people remained.
"Do you get it now?" Sirius asked. "We got it wrong. Harry is Mother Magic's Chosen. The one we are supposed to follow. Not you. Not fucking Albus Dumbledore. And its about time you realise that."
He then followed the others out of the chamber.
Soon Arthur was left alone with his wife. He shook his head in disappointment.
"Don't give me that look, Arthur," Molly said, huffing lightly.
"I don't know what you expected, Molly dear," Arthur replied.
"They're children."
"Except they're not. They've seen things. Things I'd rather they hadn't. Done things they probably wish they hadn't. They fought in a war. They're young, yes. But they're not children."
Molly glared at him, her eyes shining slightly. "I won't lose them too."
"Do you really think that's going to happen?" Arthur asked. "When we leave here we're not going back to a battlefield. Who knows what will happen but you only have to look about this place to know what that young man is capable of. Because of him and Mother Magic, You-Know-Who is sitting in the same room as Albus Dumbledore and no curses have flown yet. Death eaters are eating meals with order members. It's absurd. But do you really think our world will be anything like the one we just left?"
She shook her head.
"But we have to use this time wisely," Arthur continued. "It's a gift from Mother Magic herself. And we must not squander it. Harry has ideas. Real ideas that could change everything. You heard him talk about werewolves and primary schools... He wants to change things. Don't try and hinder that. That boy's been downtrodden enough in his first life. I won't let it happen this time around too. Not even by my wife."
"I wasn't trying to..."
"I know. But the end result is the same," Arthur said as gently as he could. "Harry is right. We are part of the problem and until we start thinking differently, acting differently, that isn't going to change."
With that, he kissed his wife on the forehead and left the chamber.