Aunt Mini

Harry, Jamie and Slughorn walked down to the potions room, Harry went straight over to the bench he had been using and flicked through his book until he came to a potion to keep his hair flat. It was more difficult than the others but Harry enjoyed the whole process of brewing potions, so he didn’t think he’d have any problem making the potion. He saw Slughorn talking to Jamie on the other side of the room, then he opened a book for the instructions of a potion to remove boils. Harry smiled as he watched his sister gather her ingredients, he went back to his potion, working on grinding his pods into a fine powder.

‘While your sister is starting her potion I wished to explain how we can work around my classes and you’re classes.’

‘Yeah, I was wondering about that. I didn’t want to take away any of your free time.’

‘You won’t, so I worked it out with Severus. You are only taking four classes so some of your free periods can be spent with me while I’m teaching, but only the fourth, fifth, sixth and Seventh. The lower classes need extra attention so I can’t focus on what you are doing and what they are doing.’

‘That works well, so when you do have the lower age students I can catch up on homework. So is Severus working on that time table so I know which of your classes I can join?’

‘Yes, he is doing the rosters now. I will let you concentrate on your potion while I watch your sister.’

‘Thanks professor,’ Harry went back to adding ingredients, then counting his stirs. When it was finished he checked the picture in the book which made him smile.

‘Very good Harry, that is perfect. You have a real talent for potions.’

‘Thanks professor, so how did my sister go?’

‘You’re sister has a lot of talent as well, her potion was almost perfect. But since all this unpleasantness happened with your parents, I’m sure she is not focusing properly. She is up to a sixth year standard and I believe she will get better. Now why don’t you two young people enjoy some time away from this room.’

‘Thank you professor,’ Jamie waited until her teacher left, ‘He seems nice enough.’

‘He is, so let me bottle my potion then we can go set you up a vault,’ Harry turned back to his cauldron, then started to fill five vials with his potion, he took them into the store room, placing them on the shelf with his other potions before sealing the door again.

‘Harry, can you tell me how you can afford to pay for my stuff, I don’t feel right taking your money especially if it’s all you have.’

Harry and Jamie left the potions room, ‘Did they tell you anything about Sirius?’

‘Yes, they said he was our godfather, but he had been sent to Azkaban. Dad said that Sirius had a temper so he figured Sirius did something wrong to end up in there.’

‘No, it was Pettigrew that set him up, Sirius was a wonderful man, I loved him very much. When he died he left me everything, the thing is he was the last Black in his part of the family so everything that belonged to his parents went to him which went to me. The Blacks were an old pureblood family who were also wealthy, so you see, I have more money than I would use in a lifetime. But I also have a vault that our parents left me, they must have done that before they left. So you see, I will set you up a vault then can give you enough to live on for now then add to it when you’re Seventeen. I can’t believe they didn’t leave you anything though, Sirius told me that my father’s family was rich.’

‘If they were rich why was their house small and just barely furnished? I even had to share brooms with dad.’

‘Maybe they wasted it,’ Harry turned, ‘Aunt Mini, I’m taking Jamie to set up her vault. I might take her to Madame Malkin’s for her robes as well then all she needs to do is get everything else.’

‘That’s a good idea, make sure you get a trunk.’

‘I will, is there anything you want while we’re in Diagon Alley?’

‘I could use some goblets for my classes.’

‘Like the ones you usually use?’

‘Yes, if you wouldn’t mind?’

‘I don’t, so about two dozen?’

‘That would be perfect, thank you. Now Horace explained about your potion Jamie, seems you and your brother are alike is a lot of ways.’

‘I like potions and I like flying, two things my brother’s good at. I do enjoy transfiguration that is my favourite subject.’

‘Aunt Mini teachers that, she’s great.’

‘Thank you, now why don’t you two head out.’

Harry hugged his aunt and gave Jamie a nod when he noticed she looked wistful so Jamie hugged their aunt as well making Minerva smile.

Harry kept hold of Jamie’s hand as they stepped into the leaky cauldron. The moment Harry was seen everyone either applauded or yelled out to him. One question that was asked was who the girl was beside him, his girlfriend.

‘No she’s my sister, Jamie, I’m gay and have a boyfriend, or partner.’

‘How can you have a sister, your parents died when you were a baby?’

‘They never died, the left, left me and hid then yesterday they left Jamie, giving me guardianship of her. So it’s time for everyone to know that James and Lily Potter were cowards and ran away leaving their baby to the mercy of Voldemort just to save themselves. Anyway, I’m showing my sister around, it’s nice to talk to you.’

As Harry and Jamie walked to the back of the pub everyone applauded again, Harry tapped the bricks and the siblings entered Diagon Alley.

‘Did they ever bring you here?’

‘I was here once, three years ago, mum wanted some more books.’

Harry saw Jamie’s face fall, so he put his arm around her again, ‘Try not to think about them Jamie. Once you know in your heart how selfish they were, how heartless they are, that they only wanted each other and not us you will start to feel better but it won’t happen for a while.’

‘I asked them why we couldn’t go get you from the muggles, bring you home. They said it was safer, that you-know-who would find you which meant he would find us and we’d be in danger. They meant them didn’t they, they would be in danger.’

Harry sighed, ‘Yeah, they weren’t really thinking about you. But his name is Voldemort, it’s not like years ago, everyone afraid to say the name. Dumbledore and I were two people that always said his name, Ron and Hermione hated me saying that, but they got used to it.’

‘Weren’t you scared of saying the name, everyone seemed to be?’

‘Hagrid told me a bit about him and how he killed my parents, then the first day on the train to Hogwarts I met Ron. He sat there stunned when I said Voldemort, we got talking and so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable I would say you-know-who. The thing is, when I said you-know-who I felt fear, when I said Voldemort I didn’t, it’s hard to explain. Anyway, I said to myself I wasn’t going to be scared of a name and even Dumbledore said it, there’s nothing to fear by saying his name and he wished everyone would stop saying you-know-who or he-who-must-not-be-named, some did, most couldn’t bring themselves to use his name.’

‘I’m sure I will, I was brought up to fear his name but it does seem stupid, being scared of a name.’

‘It is, now let’s go set you up your vault so you shop for stuff you want.’ Harry smiled at his sister, they walked into Gringotts and over to a counter where Harry was ready to organise everything for his sister.