Strange Coincidences
The rest of the Christmas holidays were gone in the blink of an eye, and before Harry knew it, his parents had driven him and Theo to King’s Cross Station to head back to Hogwarts. There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugging, and promises to write letters and to visit again when summer came.
By the time they finally made it onto Platform 9 and 3/4ths, it was almost eleven, and the two boys had to rush into the train right before it set off, both of them out of breath and yet laughing at the same time.
Draco flagged them down easily after that, and they all went back to their usual compartment, where Neville had come to join them as well.
“Hey, Nev!” Harry beamed, hugging his friend tightly as they slipped into the compartment. “The books were incredible, thank you so much! That goes for you too, Draco, I really appreciated it.”
“It was no trouble.” Neville laughed a bit, patting Harry’s back as they pulled away, settling back into his seat. “Thank you for the seeds. Where did you even get them? Oh, and, nice earrings by the way.”
“Thank you!” He laughed, before he looked over at Theo, who seemed to be bursting with excitement to tell their friends about his break.
“Oh, we went to the plant nursery.” He explained, smiling brightly. “It’s this, incredible store just, full of plants! Like a giant greenhouse! Harry kept asking everyone questions about the seeds!”
“Ohhh, that sounds amazing.”
“It was!”
Draco laughed a bit, looking between them before his gaze landed on Harry. “Theo enjoyed his holiday in Muggle London?”
“I think Theo fell in love at least four different times during our holiday.” He hummed thoughtfully. “We got Chinese like, way more than we should have because he just really wanted sweet and sour pork.”
“Mr. Zhu is a wizard in his own right, I don’t understand how the food he makes is that good.” Theo murmured, “It’s incredible.”
Blaise snickered a bit, sitting up and smiling when he saw that the boys had their bracelets on. When Harry looked around, he realized that Draco and Neville had one as well.
“Mamma will be happy to know our gift is in use.” He said softly. “We have extras in case our little group continues to grow, and one ready for the Little Hartford when they’re old enough.” He added, with a smile on his face when he looked at Harry.
“Your mum wasn’t too upset about me accidentally telling you, was she?”
“Nah, not at all.” Harry snorted. “She was sad she didn’t get to see the utter surprise on my face, but Theo and I reacted excitedly enough that it made up for it.”
“What are we talking about?” Draco asked, looking between them in confusion. “What do you mean, Little Hartford?”
“My mum is pregnant.”
“Wha- Congratulations!” His friend gasped, hugging him tightly, earning a sharp laugh from Harry as he hugged back. “That’s great! I know muggles don’t have the same struggles wixen do when it comes to children, but- this is amazing!”
Harry paused, raising a brow at Blaise, who just shook his head and mouthed ‘later’.
After the excitement of Harry’s future little sister waned a bit, only after he had shown them the sonogram picture that Theo had on him, they began filling each other in on the rest of what they did during the break. Neville mostly stayed at home, except for when he was dragged to the annual Ministry Gala, which he hated.
Blaise, of course, celebrated the holidays with his mother on the beach in Italy, only going to England to come and visit Harry and Theo.
Draco, however, had quite the story to tell them, and it was one that started all the way back in early December.
“Harry, can you put up a privacy ward?” He asked softly, and Harry nodded, flicking his hand and letting his magic form a slight shield against the door. Not so thick that it would be noticed by anyone, but thick enough to keep anyone from eavesdropping.
Once it was up, Draco began to speak again.
“So, you all know how Granger, Finnegan, and Weasley have become an odd little trio?” He asked, earning nods from the rest of the group. It had been strange to see the friendship that had bloomed between them, mostly because of how genuinely mean the two boys had been to Hermione at the beginning of the year. “Well, the three of them were down talking to the groundskeeper, Hagrid, while he was pulling the Christmas tree in, and I heard them talking about the third floor corridor.”
“Do you think they went up there?” Theo asked as he opened Harry’s shoulder bag, pulling out a few of the snacks that Fiona had stashed in there, before deciding on a croissant and splitting it with Neville.
“Almost definitely. They were asking him about a three headed dog that was up there. The dog’s name is Fluffy, by the way-”
“There’s a bloody cerberus in the school?” Blaise’s eyes almost bulged out of his head at that.
“Yes! But that’s not the point!” Draco huffed. “Fluffy is guarding something, and that something was given to Dumbledore to guard by Nicolas Flamel.”
“Flamel?” Harry murmured. “That name is really familiar…”
“That’s exactly what I said.”
Neville sat up a bit, swallowing his bite of croissant. “...He’s French, isn’t he? A French alchemist?”
“Yes!” Draco beamed, looking at the other boy impressed. “Nicolas Flamel is an alchemist, and he’s the only known maker of the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
The amazed reaction that he was obviously expecting to get didn’t happen, as the boys all just looked at him in confusion, causing him to let out an exasperated sigh.
“It can turn any metal into gold, or it can make the Elixir of Life, which can make anyone who drinks it immortal.” He said simply.
“Oh.” Harry said, before his eyes went wide. “Oh! Oh my god? That’s in our school?”
“Yes! Which is why the corridor is blocked off!”
Blaise frowned at that, his gaze narrowing. “...Why would Quirrell be going after the Sorcerer’s Stone? I mean, the gold thing might make sense, I don’t think that professors make that much money, but…”
“Unless it’s not for himself.” Theo suddenly muttered. His face, which Harry had grown used to seeing a relaxed smile on, had hardened significantly, a near sneer forming on his lips.
“Who could it be for, Theo..?” Neville asked worriedly, going pale at the look on his friend’s face.
“You-Know-Who.”
The other four boys looked at each other nervously, the gravity of what Theo had said settling over them.
It was the most likely option, they all knew it, but it was still the most horrifying one.
And Harry felt his heart sink at the thought that it could be true.
—
“So, we’re in agreement?” Blaise said as he looked at his friends. “Harry is never to be left alone in Quirrell’s presence ever again?”
“Agreed.” Theo and Draco replied firmly, the latter throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulders, while the former grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. Harry smiled at the affectionate gestures, but he couldn’t stop the anxiety from gnawing at his insides. It was their first defense class of the new term, and he was really dreading having to enter that room.
He had honestly considered faking being sick in order to get out of it.
“Thanks, guys…” He said softly. “I really do appreciate it.”
“And we appreciate you being alive, and not being kidnapped by the man.” Blaise muttered, pulling Harry into a quick hug, his taller form essentially pulling his friend face first into his neck. “Mamma would have to kill him otherwise.”
“Not unless my Mum gets him first.” Harry snorted, shaking his head as they all pulled away, starting to walk to the Defense Classroom. “She very plainly detailed how she would get away with killing him over Christmas.”
Theo nodded solemnly. “I mean, it was a very good plan.”
“It was.”
“I’d help her.”
“I know you would.”
Blaise and Draco shared a look, before they all started laughing at the absurdity of the conversation, covering their mouths to try and muffle the sound as they approached the classroom, where the rest of the Slytherin first years, and some of the Gryffindors, were waiting.
Finnegan, Weasley, and Hermione looked at them strangely, with Weasley speaking up first.
“What are you four laughing about? Get away with another scheme?” He asked, raising a brow.
Harry rolled his eyes a bit, opening his mouth to speak but getting cut off by Draco.
“Like we’d tell you, Weasley.” He scoffed. “Your peabrain wouldn’t be able to comprehend the complexity of it anyways. I mean, really, you managed to mix up Hags and Banshees. How do you even manage that?”
That had the tips of Weasley’s ears turning bright red, and Harry shot his friend a gentle admonishing look. He wasn’t actually angry, but it was still too early in the day, and too stressful of a day, to deal with the Malfoy-Weasley blood feud.
Weasley was about to open his mouth to protest, when Hermione shot him a look, and offering a hesitant smile to Harry.
“Hi, Hartford.” She nodded a bit.
“He- Granger.” He said, smiling as well. “Good holiday?”
“Oh, yes! I got a bit stuck on a research subject, but… Well, it’s really not a big deal.”
“Huh… Well, I spent some time researching during the break as well. French Alchemists, y’know?”
He could feel the stares his friends were giving him, the confusion palpable as they looked between him and Hermione.
“French Alchemists? Why?” She asked, just as confused as they were.
“I read an article on… Oh, what was his name?” Harry paused for dramatic effect, scratching his head with his wand. “Oh! Nicolas Flambers? No, uh… Ah, Flamel! That’s it! Nicolas Flamel! He’s the only one who can make the Sorcerer’s Stone, y’know? I wanted to see if there was anyone else he had taught his skills to, and even though there weren’t, it was still a fascinating read.”
He watched, forcing back a smile as all three Gryffindors eyes went as wide as saucers, and before Hermione could open her mouth to speak again, the classroom door opened, and they all began filing in.
As they entered the room, Draco leaned closer to him and half whispered, half hissed. “Why did you tell them about Flamel?”
“They’re Gryffindors.” Harry whispered back. “They won’t be able to keep their noses out of a mystery that doesn’t involve them.”
After a pause, the blonde boy’s eyes widened. “...You’re hoping they deal with the Quirrell problem for you?”
“Yep.”
“That is… Positively Slytherin, Harry.”
“God, I hope so. I’d be a disgrace to my house if it wasn’t.”
The two of them shared a soft laugh, before they filed into their seats. When Quirrell walked out, beginning to stammer his way through his lesson on Gytrashes, Harry felt the all too familiar migraine start to emanate from his scar.
He took a slow, deep breath, keeping his head down and taking notes on the weird, spirit dogs.
The less he looked at his professor, the better.
—
Classes were continuing as usual, thankfully. They went over Dittany in Herbology, brewed an Antidote to Common Poisons in Potions, and even learned how to create fire in Charms.
Defense was mostly fine, although his migraines were getting worse and worse, and he had thrown up on more than a few occasions after class just due to the pain. Once, Blaise had even gone and gotten one of their prefects to walk him up to Madam Pomfrey, who had taken one look at him and made him take a nap for the rest of the day.
Harry still preferred Astronomy to the rest of his classes, except for maybe Potions, but that was because Professor Sinistra was a fascinating woman to talk to, and the two of them had built up quite the rapport over the months.
It was after one of those wonderfully peaceful Astronomy classes, when he and his friends were slowly making their way back down the stairs to go back to their dorms, when he was stopped by Professor Dumbledore, smiling genially and gesturing for him to come closer.
“Mr. Hartford. May I speak with you?” He asked, causing Harry to look at his friends in confusion. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t remember doing anything, but it could be something to do with his grades. Maybe he was failing Transfiguration and didn’t even notice?
He looked up at Dumbledore, making eye contact for a moment, before he felt an odd tingling sensation in his head and he blinked a few times, a frown on his face.
“Have I done something, sir?” He asked, relief flooding his body as the tingling went away.
“Not at all. I simply wanted to come and have a chat.”
Harry hesitated, looking at his friends, who gave him a quick, reassuring nod.
“Alright.” He nodded, turning back to Dumbledore and adjusting his bag, following after the old man and jogging a bit to keep up with him.
“Did you have a good holiday, Mr. Hartford?” He asked, smiling at the boy.
“I did, sir.” Harry nodded. “Theo, uhm, Mr. Nott came and spent the break with my family and I, since his father was out of the country.”
“I see. It was very kind of you to open your home to him, Harry.”
“My parents would have done it for any of my friends, sir.”
“Exceptionally kind individuals they are, then.” Dumbledore hummed knowingly. “I’m glad you were raised by such wonderful people… It would have made your parents happy to know that you were loved and cared for.”
Harry grimaced a bit, still walking alongside the old man. “James and Lily Potter gave birth to me, but I don’t consider them my parents, sir.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“Well… Dad always says that there’s a difference between a Mother and Father, and a Mum and Dad. James and Lily are my Mother and Father, because they gave birth to me, but Gid and Fiona are my Mum and Dad, because they raised me.” He explained. “There’s a place in my heart for James and Lily, but I don’t love them the way I love my Mum and Dad.”
Dumbledore nodded a bit. “I see… That’s a very… Grown up way of thinking, Harry. You said that your Dad told you this?”
“Yep. Dad was an orphan, like me. He didn’t get a Mum and Dad, all he had was a Mother and Father.”
“Interesting.”
“Did you just want to talk to me about my parents, sir? Because if so, can we do this in the morning? I need to make sure I have my Transfiguration essay done for Professor McGonagall tomorrow.”
“No, no. I was simply hoping to show you something.” Dumbledore nodded gently, opening the door to one of the unused classrooms and walking in, allowing Harry to follow him. When he did, he wrinkled his nose at the layers of dust that covered every surface.
It took a moment for the initial shock of the grime to wash off of him, but once it did, he felt a slight tugging sensation at his chest, causing him to look towards the large mirror in the middle of the room. He took a few cautious steps forward, looking up at the ornate, golden thing, before his eyes caught onto the inscription at the top.
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
Harry frowned for a moment, before he began sounding out the words.
“I show not your face… But your heart’s desire..?” He murmured, stepping forward again and looking into the mirror, almost stumbling back as he saw his reflection.
Except… It wasn’t quite him.
He was older, seventeen at least, and still wearing his Hogwarts robes. Theo, Blaise, Draco, and Neville were all there, the same age as him, bright smiles on their faces as they all threw their arms around one another. He smiled a bit as he watched the Mirror Theo press his cheek up against Mirror Harry’s, the two of them squished together in the middle, and the look on both of their faces was the epitome of gentleness.
Behind the mirror versions of his friends, he could see his parents talking with the Contessa, and the blonde couple that Harry knew to be Draco’s parents. Between his parents he could see a black haired little girl, grinning and adding into the conversation in a way only a little kid could.
They were all happy. All of them were safe, and happy, and…
Suddenly, Harry knew exactly what the mirror was.
“It shows you your greatest wish.” He declared.
“That’s right, Harry.” Dumbledore said from behind him. “What is it that you see?”
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should lie about what he saw. The headmaster had seemed so surprised about Harry’s thoughts on his parents, and he wondered if he had been expecting him to have some sort of other thoughts on the matter.
In the end, however, he told the man the truth.
“...I see myself. My family.” Harry smiled softly. “The people I love most in this world… We’re all safe, and happy. None of us are scared, or… Or in danger. We’re just enjoying our lives.”
Dumbledore hummed quietly, which prompted him to ask the headmaster his own question.
“What do you see, sir?”
The surprised noise that he made when he was asked that question almost made Harry laugh, but the somber voice with which he spoke knocked the urge right out of him.
“...I see myself with the young man I once fell in love with.” Dumbledore said softly, with a gentle earnestness that told Harry that he was telling the honest truth. “We aren’t young men, not anymore… No, we’re far older. Far more wrinkled. But we are happy.”
He bit the inside of his cheek, feeling a bit surprised at the answer.
“That’s… That’s really nice, sir.” He replied, earning him a soft smile from the headmaster.
“That it is, Harry. That it is. Now… You should head back to your dormitories. It’s getting late.”
“Yes, sir. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Harry.”
Harry slowly walked away from the mirror, shaking his head as he left the classroom, quickly making his way back out to the corridor, feeling just a bit shaken. It was such an odd thing to show him, especially after such a strange conversation.
It had to have been planned. There was absolutely no way that wasn’t planned.
A frown formed on his lips as he made his way down the many staircases and back into the common room, nodding at Marcus Flint, who was sitting on one of the sofas in front of the fireplace.
“Hartford.” The older boy nodded in acknowledgement. “Malfoy said you got pulled away by the Headmaster. You alright?”
“Yeah, ‘m alright. It was just weird.” He sighed.
“Dumbles has a way of doing that.” Marcus said bitterly, shaking his head as he looked at Harry. “You’re alright, though?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Good.” He nodded, standing up with a grunt and patting Harry’s back as he walked past. “Go get some sleep, kid. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
“Night, Hartford.”
Harry sighed a bit, carefully sitting on the sofa and staring at the fire in front of him, wrapping his arms around himself as he watched the flames dance.
He felt way too weird to go to bed.
With another sigh, and a hand running through his hair, he dug a letter-sized piece of parchment out of his bag, along with a pen, and began to write a letter.
-
Mum,
Had a weird night, feeling weird.
Just wanted to let you and Dad know that I love you a lot, and that I’m really, really glad that you adopted me. You’re my parents. Nothing is ever gonna change that, no matter what.
And my sister is gonna know the same love from the freaking minute she’s born.
I love you guys so much, I hope the nursery painting is going well.
Hugs and kisses,
Harry
-
Baby,
Dad and I love you too, Harry. You never have to thank us for adopting you. You know I’m not religious, I’m hardly even spiritual at the best of times, but I think whatever powers out there must have made all three of us for each other.
We were always meant to be a family, you know? Shoot, Magic itself agrees with us, so that thought absolutely has some merit to it.
But still, you’re our son. I may not have birthed you, but I have loved you from the minute I knew you, just like any mother would. Dad feels the same way, I know he does.
You’re our boy, no matter what anyone says, and your sister is gonna have the best big brother in the whole wide world, I just know it.
Love,
Mum
P.S. The nursery is now a very pretty lilac, and Dad’s painting owls on the walls. One of them looks like Hedwig, and the other looks like Mephistopheles. I sent a couple polaroids so you can see.
We can’t wait for the whole family to be back home. Only a couple more months, baby. I love you.