1991- Summer
Harry’s OWLs in divination were quite difficult, his practical once again being much easier and less time consuming. They estimated three to four weeks for his results.
Dora on the other hand was basically frantic, her magic was constantly jumbled when she wasn’t in the exams and Harry knew that she was stressing about making it into the program of her choice. Harry for his part tried to offer levity, calm, and sometimes strength which he was unaccustomed to but also willing, and he found he actually quite liked it.
During the exams he had managed to borrow Dora’s broom, she insisted, and hesitantly knocked on the Fat Lady’s portrait.
“Harry!” Percy exclaimed when he opened the door. “Didn’t know you’d be around, what did you need? Did McGonagall send for me?”
Percy was usually quite calm so Harry was slightly confused by his rushed questions.
“Um. I was just looking for Fred.” Harry said, still trying to puzzle out the boy in front of him. He would say he was lucky for someone he knew to answer the door, but it was so strange.
“Whaddah ya need Harry?” George asked. Harry furrowed his brow. He could tell Percy had left, he still wasn’t wearing shoes, hoping it wouldn’t be a problem while flying.
“Is he alright?” Harry asked. “Wait…why is Percy in Gryffindor tower?”
George burst out laughing. “He’s dating the Gryffindor Prefect, that’s why he was so jumbled.”
“Oh.” Harry said. “Good for him.”
“So what of you need mate?” George asked.
“Well I was just looking for Fred.” Harry said uncertainly.
“Can I be of service?” George asked.
Harry cocked his head, Dora said to make sure that Fred was there when he tried it out…”No I think I need Fred, George. Sorry.” Harry still didn’t quite understand it himself.
“Well then, come in while I go get him. I think he’s in our room.” George pulled him by the arm into the common room.
oOo
“Fredrick” George said seriously walking into their room where his brother had been inordinately dull for the past couple of days.
“George” Fred said, looking at an advanced charms book, he really was good with charms but usually didn’t show it in class. George didn’t know why his brother had been slightly down, he was the only one to notice of course. Fred acted his usual cheery self, but it was something in George’s bones that told him it wasn’t right. Apparently he’d taken too long because Fred spoke next. “Did you need something?”
George smiled, don’t think for one second he didn’t realize his brothers crush. “Just a Hufflepuff looking for you in the common room” George said offhandedly. Fred didn’t react, perfect.
“Tell them to go away will you? I’m busy.” Fred said.
George smiled. “You sure? I think it’s important.”
“Nah tell them to go away.” Fred said, still looking at his book.
George smiled, slightly manically if anyone but Fred were to judge. “Hey Harry! Fred says-oomph” George was tackled to the ground in four words flat, his twins hand over his mouth.
“You said it was a Hufflepuff!” Fred whispered angrily.
George looked to Fred’s hand, still on his mouth. He would’ve licked it but Fred wouldn’t care, biting had the same affect, they knew each other too well for that. Fred hesitantly took his hand from his mouth. “Harry IS a Hufflepuff, pending official sorting” He said smugly.
Fred whacked him across the head for that before casting a refreshing charm on his clothes, not that it mattered…though…maybe Harry could see him better with it? George was still trying to figure out the whole eyesight thing. He was a little peeved that Fred could be seen and not him.
George chuckled as he watched Fred almost fall down the stairs in his haste.
oOo
Harry was just starting to get uncomfortable when he heard George call to him, but then he was cut off, must have been Fred. Harry could tell that people were staring at him, mostly the younger years who were a year older than him. He was really trying not to fidget but it was getting harder, people kept their curious glances up.
“Harry!” Fred said slightly out of breath. “What did you need?”
Harry smiled. “I was going to test out…” Harry didn’t know what Fred had called the invention, if he had called it anything. Him catching a snitch would be hard….he wondered…maybe? “I was going to test out the glitch, I figured you’d want to see it.”
Fred stood stock still for a moment, then his magical signature started to do something that Harry couldn’t really make out before it glowed, really glowed, Harry didn’t think he’d seen anyone that happy before.
“The glitch, I like it. We have to go grab my broom.” Fred said and grabbed Harry’s hand.
Fred let him lead the way, Harry knew. Fred knew just about as many secret passageways as himself. Well, him and George combined did.
“I put a chain on it, hope you don’t mind.” Harry said while leading them down a back staircase.
“Course not, that’s the intended use.” Fred said.
Harry smiled. “If it works, you have something special Fred.”
Harry thought he heard Fred mumble something under his breath but couldn’t make it out, and they were at the broom shed anyway.
“Alright, how do you want to do this?” Fred asked, taking his hand once again before leading him to the pitch.
“How’s flying usually taught?” Harry asked, scrunching his nose in thought.
“Well, usually we try to get control of the broom…but maybe we try it out together before you try it on your own?” Fred asked. “You can lead.”
Harry nodded and placed his broom on the ground. “You think your signature will cause problems with the snitch?” He tilted his head.
“Let’s hope not.” Fred said. “Else we’ll both be flattened to pancakes.” Harry laughed. “If it causes trouble you know the keyword, and I’ll take over handling.”
Harry nodded he held out his hand for Fred who took it quickly. “Behind me, left hand on my shoulder.” Harry specified, he’d probably need his right for mounting. “Up” He addressed the broom.
He climbed on, pretty much in sync with Fred, even though the boy boasted legs much longer than him. He took the snitch from under his robes “Volant” he said and the snitch was in front of him, through the Goblin made chain he could make it out, barely. He pushed off, and Fred jostled behind him.
“Not too high Harry.” Fred said while wrapping his arms around his waist. Harry nodded.
He leaned forward, Fred moving with him and they took off, the snitch was a volatile thing, tugging them left and Harry barely made the turn, he could tell Fred was almost ready to take over. The snitch pulled up, nearly off his head, and he saw a second design flaw, then down, nearly choking him.”Traham” he said. “Can you land Fred?” The older boy took control, and Harry was impressed, not many could maneuver a broom from behind another person.
Fred was conspicuously quiet when they landed.
“Fred?” Harry questioned. “It was a good first shot, obviously a few more spells need to be modified…and maybe an experienced flyer could take it up to show it the curves, or…”
Fred hugged him. “You’re brilliant you know? Hardly ever show it, just a few cases, but I bet any third year I ask couldn’t have thought of that. And no one gets it on their first shot, right? We’ll have it right as rain before the summers over.”
Harry smiled. “Thanks Fred.”
oOo
The graduation ceremony was strange for Harry. Being an apprentice allowed him a spot on the stage, but he chose instead to sit with his parents. He’d gone in early of course, but made the mistake of not wearing shoes, causing him to run out of the hall like his feet were on fire and run into Maimeo.
“What’s wrong Harry?”
“Too many…too many” Harry panted.
“Too many what?” Maimeo asked.
“Too many transfigured things!” Harry wailed. “I have to wear shoes. SHOES Maimeo!”
Maimeo laughed heartily. “Well then, let’s ask Kreacher to get you some shoes.”
He grumbled about the stupid pinchy shoes, but it was better than nearly falling over from all the transfigured chairs. Apparently too many transfigured things in one place was not good. He’d known from Dora’s first year that transfigured things never felt quite right, but this many in one space… Maimeo was careful to get a regular chair for him to sit on.
Of course there was lots of talking when the other parents and siblings got there, Harry was peacefully sitting in the front row, along with the other prefect’s parents and mum and dad.
Then Maimeo cast a sonorous “I would like to take a moment to congratulate our graduates, the Hogwarts class of 1991. This class year has seen some interesting developments to our curriculum that I believe they will have benefited one, and one of our very own Prefects has propositioned a new school position that I would never have thought of. We’ve had one of the youngest chasers, who will be moving on to join the Wigtown Wanderers. We have three other players, joining Puddlemore, Tutshell and Holyhead. We have four aspiring Aurors, two witch weekly writers, and much more. I must also announce, the highest average exam scores since 1945. Congratulations, we shall be handing out the degrees in the same order as you were sorted. After such, you will officially be Hogwarts Graduates”
Lots and lots of names were called, the most important being Penny Haywood, Nymphandora Tonks (to her chagrin) and Charlie Weasley. Harry clapped especially hard for them.
And then it was all over, and they were taking wizarding photographs and headed to Carlyle’s stables for the party.
This time though, when Carlyle tried to make a move on Bill, Dora stepped in, much to Harry’s amusement. But Carlyle wasn’t pouting for long, catching sight of Charlie, whom had according to Dora at least, really come into his own, and was most assuredly gay.
It was times like these that Harry really wished Polo could travel easily, but he couldn’t and he wondered if getting another pet would be rude. Though Polo was more the Thestrals than his at this point. He still did let Harry ride him, even Asher let him ride him. He wondered not for the first time of what the colt would look like, he was sure it was a colt, not a filly.
And then, before he knew it he was dragged into the pasture and swung around by various people, dancing madly to some muggle song. Until he was passed to Dora on a slow song, not for lack of other offers, but since Dora had sniped at them.
“I will miss you this year, little brother. Intensive training and studying starts in two weeks, enough time to see Ollivander but not much else” Dora said, voice heavy with sorrow.
“Don’t worry Dora, I’m sure we’ll see each other on holidays, and if you have a break then Maimeo will let you come to the office.” Harry said, though he was worried about Dora’s training as well.
Dora hugged him close as they swayed. She wasn’t that tall, Harry thought for the first time. He didn’t know how tall, of course, but she could currently rest her chin on his head, and she was full grown. “You think I’ll ever be taller than you Dora?”
She started at the seemingly random question. “Doesn’t matter, you’ll always be my little brother.”
oOo
Dora just barely had time to go to Ollivanders with the rest of her family. The wand had been dropped off to make sure it was safe for use, and Harry had found a couple more cores, along with woods. They laid them out and Dora looked wistfully through the stack of drawings that had been completed. Over fifty wands, including Ron’s, thirteen cores: Abraxen, American Thestral, British thestral, doxy, phoenix, unicorn tail, unicorn mane, wampus hair, snallygaster heartstring, Jackelope antlers, herribidean black, opaleye, and common green, most of them not working, and nine box designs.
She looked at their work and wondered if her career choice was right. She'd gotten O's in all of her subjects, something she never would have believed would have been possible, if not for Harry. Deciding that Harry hadn’t even fully considered actually making wands for a living, let alone actually needing the money, though he had sold twenty already, she knew that learning healing would help them.
oOo
Most of the summer was spent in anticipation of Hogwarts. Much to Fred’s distress he could not fine tune the glitch, although Harry kept glitch prototype one on him at all times. They’d gone through three more before Maimeo had decided that flying lessons for him would be one on one with Hooch in the summer.
He managed to get up in the air, even managing next to most of the Weasley crew under Hooch’s supervision, but he couldn’t move passed that for fear of collision.
They mail-ordered the books, because no matter how hard they tried, Dora could not find the time to meet them at Diagon, and Harry refused to go without his sister.
And then his birthday managed to be just family.
Harry found the idea of entering Hogwarts as a student both exhilarating and nerve-wracking and he hoped he could keep up.