A Gnome-tastic last week of summer
Susan arrived and Remus complained the house was being flooded with too many hormonal teenagers to keep up with, so he hid in the library for two weeks.
"Mooooooony I miss you!" Harry whined through the door, wriggling the doorknob. Remus turned his page, only half-heartedly responding.
"Should've thought about that before you let the twins switch my shampoo with blue hair dye Harry!"
"To be fair that's, like, the oldest prank in the book and you really should've been prepared for it." Harry said evenly. "Anyway, Molly says if you don't come out soon I am allowed to find a more creative way to force you to. Apparently you're really important to Fawkes."
Remus sighed heavily, and finished the sentence of his book before responding. He really did hate people interrupting his reading. "Fawkes?"
"Yeah. I don't know why though, you still haven't given him a burger. Or even fries!"
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Go away."
Harry turned to Ginny, whose wide grin matched his own.
"Go time?"
"Go time." Ginny laughed evilly and grabbed Harry's bag, quickly unlocking the door and throwing the bag in before slamming it shut and locking it again.
"Hey, I'd warded that!" Remus complained.
"Yeah, well, Daphne is really good at wards!" Harry retorted, before adding a hasty "Don't tell Molly or the ministry she used magic underage." Ginny snorted, probably because her mother came before the ministry in Harry's 'scary people that tell me off' scale. Remus didn't respond. Harry's grin slowly got wider.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Your bag is moving."
Harry laughed delightedly when he heard Remus' shout of surprise. Ginny cackled, sliding down against the wall with tears streaming down her face.
"What have you two done now?" Neville asked them suspiciously on his way past.
"Our garden needed de-gnome-ing." Ginny said innocently. "We couldn't very well leave them there to just come back again whilst we were gone, though, could we?"
Fred and George apparated (Harry was still incredibly jealous) right next to them, smiling from ear to ear.
"We'll show you the memories in the pensieve Sirius got you later." George promised.
At dinner, Remus was bruised and scowling, but he was present. Molly gave Harry a look, but she couldn't tell him off - she'd told him to do whatever it took after all.
The next morning, Hogwarts letters arrived.
"Prefect!" Draco and Daphne cheered.
"Oh, me too!" Hermione said, smiling widely. Ginny squealed and gave her a hug. Hedwig hooted proudly.
"And me!" Susan said, already reading her supply list.
"Not me!" Harry said brightly.
"Me neither, high five!" Ron cheered.
"Oh." Neville said quietly, as a prefect badge fell into his lap.
"GO NEVILLE!" Harry and Ron screeched, patting him on the back and cheering.
"What's with all the racket, I c- Oh, well done dears! Tell you what, we'll have a party tonight! Draco, Severus wants a word. You too Daphne darling. Best go quickly, he's in a frightful mood."
"Neville, can I borrow your badge?" Harry whispered. 'Snape' and 'bad mood' only ever meant mischief to Harry. Neville nodded and handed it to him, still grinning bashfully.
They all traipsed downstairs. Harry with a prefect badge pinned to his chest.
"Draco, Miss Greengrass, if you could... no. Absolutely not."
"Something wrong, Severus?" McGonagall asked, having entered the house for the next order meeting, giving the Potions Master a faux concerned look.
"Why?" Severus said hoarsely. "Why would you give it to Potter?"
"Because he's a model student and will be an amazing prefect, of course." McGonagall lied smoothly, despite the mirth in her eyes. "Really Severus, have more faith in the lad."
"20 people points to McGonagall!" Luna exclaimed.
"But Harry revoked everyone's right to give and take points!" Ron argued.
"Correction: Everyone except for Luna and Voldy." Harry said.
"I hate you."
"Aww, that's so sweet!"
Harry watched with a grin as Snape clenched his fists, practically growling. "Minerva, you cannot be in your right mind! The boy is an irresponsible, arrogant little-"
"NO!" Everyone whirled around to face a horrified Sirius. "HARRY! YOU TRAITOR!"
"It's so shiny, isn't it?" Harry giggled, twirling proudly. Neville and Draco snorted.
"YOU CANNOT BE A- Minnie, why would you do this to me!" Sirius said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"APRIL FOOLS!" Harry screeched. "It's Neville's badge. Minnie you are the best teacher ever I love you and you absolutely have to come to my wedding!"
"Harry, it's august." Hermione said, looking exhausted.
"Your wedding?" Minerva asked, looking curious.
"Yeah, when I have one. Love you, but I have to dash now, or I'm going to get killed by two men that are still pretending to hate each other's guts. BYEEEEE!" Harry ran for his life, and set off Walburga for the 3 billionth time that summer.
"I'm so glad they are leaving in a week." Remus said.
"Wow, that's no nice of you!" Fred or George said sarcastically.
"Oh, most of you are fine. Potter is the problem."
"Wow, Moony. Imagine hating your own nephew." Harry said with an eyebrow waggle, reappearing to return Neville's badge.
"I don't hate you, Harry, I'm just old."
"You're in your thirties!"
"Yeah, old!"
"There is far too much dialogue happening right now."
"That's because there's like a trillion people living here and in and out all of the time, Neville, get with the times!"
"HEY! Don't talk to me like that, it's Remus who said he didn't want you!"
"He didn't mean it! He just-"
"ENOUGH!" Molly screeched. Everyone froze. "Dumbledore has called an emergency meeting. It's too dangerous for you to go shopping together without an adult present. Severus is taking Draco and Daphne as he's been briefed already. Arthur is picking up supplies for the rest of you with Sirius. Go back upstairs, and please don't set anything on fire."
"Harry, I said DON'T set anything on fire!" Molly yelled through the wind as everyone stood outside the house (but within the boundary) and flames came out of the seventh floor windows.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Harry argued. "It just sort of... happened."
"Fiendfyre just happened naturally, did it?" Remus said. Harry had never seen him look so angry. He gulped.
"I didn't know it would be so hard to control, I just wanted to learn how to fight!" Harry shouted back. If he got angry too, he wouldn't get badly hurt when people turned on him. Susan would later tell him it was a form of trauma response, but he couldn't care less. He quite liked Susan. He didn't know how they got so close so quickly, but he wasn't complaining. She was fun to have around. "You all sit and talk strategies for hours and meanwhile us lot are left with nothing! No training, no information, nothing! How are we supposed to protect ourselves huh? Tell me that."
No one answered him.
"I'm going to stay with Sirius." Harry said bluntly, storming into the house now that Bill and Kingsley had managed to quell the flames. Technically only the wizard that cast it can end it, but Bill was a curse breaker, so he knew secret things.
"Harry-" Molly chased after him. Remus sighed and pinched his forehead.
Harry didn't go and live with Sirius. He did refuse to leave the attic though. He pulled his mattress in there, had Kreacher move a bathroom with a shower and toilet and a sink in there for him (If it was Remus' ensuite, the man never said anything) and went on strike. He only ate ham sandwiches without the crusts, and only if it was Luna or Susan who made them.
"I'm not mad at them or anything." Harry said. "I just... can't right now."
Obviously, it was Hermione and Ron that got through to him in the end. They might not know everything anymore, but they were still his closest friends. He had to protect them.
"Then let us protect you too." Hermione said, when he explained this to them. "From yourself, at least."
They hugged for ages after that.
And then, it was time to go.
"Fifth year!" Remus said cheerfully, hugging Harry tightly. "Go smash it, kiddo!"
"I will. And, I'm sorry. I know I'm kind of... difficult right now."
"Hey. You're Harry. You're amazing just as you are."
"I hope you still think that when you find the gnome I hid under your pillow!"
Remus paled.
"Sop." Draco said, kicking Harry in the leg when he was still grinning halfway into the train ride.
~
Molly picked up the foul little creature by the scruff of it's neck, examining it carefully.
"Arthur!" She called, and her husband came into the kitchen.
"Yes dear?"
"The gnomes appear to have followed us." Arthur peered carefully through his glasses.
"Indeed." He commented. "However, I don't remember them being this shade of pink, do you?"