Harry Potter and the Burden of Becoming

Harry Potter and The Burden of Becoming

Chapter 5 - The Test

Light was beaming in through the window, when Harry heard a rattling noise in his room. His face was buried in his pillow, and his head was telling him not to move; he half turned to look with one eye, but that was no use. His newfound hair was covering his face like a thatched roof, and he didn't seem to have the strength to lift his hand to move it away. There was a familiar hoot.

"Hedwig?" His voice was hoarse and scratchy, "Hedwig, come over here girl." The snowy owl obliged and lit on Harry's bed; slowly, he reached up and untied the parchment attached to her leg. He tried to blow the hair out of his eyes without moving his head, and unrolled the scroll; it was from Ron.

He didn't bloody believe that Harry would ever want to stay at the Dursley's, and were they holding him there against his will, because if they were he'd see the whole Order come and snatch Harry away again. Ron's letter went on, saying that Harry knew ways to get the truth to them, and they'd be there in an instant. But, if he really did want to stay there, then their birthday gift was a bust, and what did Harry want?

Harry had missed a few words here or there, but he figured he'd got the gist of the letter; it dropped to the floor. He stroked Hedwig and she flew back to her cage. Lifting up ever so slightly, he tried to look to see what time it was, but the moment his head left the pillow the whole room spun upside down as if he were back in the maze of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He quickly grabbed his pillow for a firmer foundation. "Note to self..." he thought. "No more drinking with Duncan." The house was silent when outside a car roared by, the sound of the engine pounding in his head. He groaned, wishing it hadn't been so hot that he needed to keep the window open.

He tried to focus his mind on last evening's events, but it was like looking into a crystal ball in Trelawney's Divination class--pure fog. After a few minutes and some deep breaths, he began to remember... her parents were arguing again, and she wouldn't tell me, but who was he to talk? Duncan saying that Emma knew something... something about him being magic... about them being magical together. It was too difficult to put the pieces together in his mind, and he couldn't stay in bed all day; Gabriella had some plans. Flat on his face, he slowly turned one leg out on to the floor, and then the other. He was on his knees, still clutching his pillow to his head, when the front door opened and shut; footsteps were coming up the stairs. He was sure it was Uncle Vernon coming to tell him to mow the lawn.

"Please don't yell... please don't yell," was all he could think when the footsteps stopped outside in the hallway. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He half turned his head to the door, peaking through his hair when it opened. It wasn't Vernon or Petunia; it was her. She was wearing white shorts and sandals, and was carrying something in her hand. That's all he could manage without turning his head further, which he knew would be a massive mistake. She sighed, clucking her tongue.

"I thought you might need some help, here, drink this. Mama says it'll do the trick, something to do with quail eggs and... well, you don't want to know." She knelt down beside him and handed him a glass. "Take a sip."

He gingerly lifted his head up just enough to poor a few drops into his mouth. He could feel the liquid burn a little as it went down his throat, but almost instantly the throbbing in his temples began to recede. She helped him turn around and sit, his back against the bed, and then sat next to him.

"Drink the rest."

He obliged, and in a few short minutes he was feeling much better.

"Your Uncle and Dudley left early this morning, and your aunt left about ten minutes ago. She was all dressed up for something."

Harry remembered muttering, "Hairdresser," as he began to straighten up. "She always tries to look as good as she can before she goes. She'll be there for a couple of hours." He put his hand down and found Ron's parchment. They both looked at it and Gabriella stood up.

"Look, I have to go; I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and now you are."

"No, wait." Harry tried to get to his feet, but the room still wanted to tilt a bit, and as he began to tumble, Gabriella held his arm. "Don't go, not yet." He stood straight and brought her towards him. "We've got the day together, right?"

"Yes, of course," she said with a broad smile.

"And you have a few thoughts on how we might spend it?" It was his eyes now that were twinkling.

"Actually," she said slyly, "I do." She ran her finger down his chest toward his navel. "And do you want to know how the morning starts?" Her thumb was drawing circles around his belly button. Harry nodded his head smiling. "With you getting showered and dressed!" She kissed him quickly on the lips and turned to the door. "You have fifteen minutes, and then we need to go!"

"But, but I thought...," he stammered.

She eyed him slyly with a broad smile. "Don't be silly," she said, and closed the door behind her. Harry stood for a moment his mouth open, and then shaking his head, reached down to pick up Ron's letter. He was feeling much better really. He set it down on his dresser and headed to the shower.

It took him every bit of fifteen minutes to get ready; he was tying the lace on his trainer, when he heard her call, "Come on! Come on!" He ran out to find her standing by her father's sedan, another car parked in the driveway. "It's mine!" she said, her eyes beaming.

"What?"

"Papa just bought a car!" Harry glanced at the new car parked in the drive; a deep metallic burgundy, full sized four door. He could see Uncle Vernon turning green already. "And the old one is mine! Come on, get in, we only have a few minutes."

She drove to the town square where the open-air concert had been held, and quickly parked the car. Harry was at a loss, and Gabriella was saying nothing behind her white smile. She had given him some bread to eat in the car, and he brushed the crumbs off the front of his shirt as he raced after her. She was heading up some steps, and stopped short of the door. "Here, you'll need these." She handed Harry an old piece of yellow paper, and a bright pink one. "And, you'll need these." She held up her keys. Harry stared blankly. "Go on. Go on!" She pushed them into his hand and closed his fingers. "I'll wait here till you're done!" And she pushed him through the door.

Inside a number of people were filling in papers. He caught the eye of one of the guys he'd seen at Duncan's party the night before, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair uncombed. "Hey, Steve!" said Harry as he waved.

"Hey, you takin' the test too?" Steve asked, managing a weak smile, and slowly turning his head back to his paper.

"Test?" Harry breathed.

"Excuse me son, are those your papers?" A frumpy man in his forties was looking at Harry, and holding out his hand. Without thinking, without looking, Harry handed him the papers that Gabriella had given him. "Yes... okay... very well, looks like your provisional is in order... and I see it's your birthday, take this and sit over there." Giving Harry back his papers, he also handed him a booklet, paper and pencil. Harry looked down; it was his theory exam. The booklet was filled with driving questions, and the answers were to be recorded on the white sheet. He looked toward the front door, and thought of taking off, and then looked back down to the paper. "But I'm not old enough," he thought. He opened up the yellow paper; it was his birth certificate, or at least it looked like his birth certificate, only it had Harry turning seventeen yesterday.

"Duncan," he whispered, and then looking to the door he said, "Gabriella." With that, he decided to give it a go. It soon became clear why Gabriella had been quizzing him lately while they drove about town, and after about thirty minutes, he thought he'd answered most of the questions correctly. He took his exam paper up to the front desk where the man took the it and slipped it into a machine. "Very good," he said, "thirty-two correct; you pass. Here's a sheet you should review covering your mistakes. Do you want to take the practical today to have your provisional stamped?"

"Er... sure," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.

"Very well, sit down over here," the man said. Harry took a seat and had his eyes examined by a girl not much older than he.

"I like your earring" she said and winked, placing some picture cards in front of him. "What colours do you see in this picture?" A few moments later he was standing near the front door waiting for another examiner. When she stepped from around a partition, he had the distinct impression he was looking at a younger Professor McGonagall; her hair was tied up in a bun, and she carried a clipboard and pen. "Your car?" she asked curtly.

"Erm, just outside." Harry took the keys from his pocket, and stepped out the door. Gabriella was nowhere to be seen. The examiner had him drive the car around a few blocks, do some maneuvers, and then demonstrate his parking skills in the same church car park where Gabriella had taught him the ropes. He thought back and smiled.

"Very well," she said, "you may return." They pulled in front of the examination office and stepped in. "Take this and hand it to the front desk," she said briskly, and then strode over to Steve, who was sleeping in his chair. Harry took the form to the desk and handed it to the man, along with his provisional.

"Yes, very good." He typed some things in the computer and a few minutes later handed Harry the pink piece of paper. "Your stamped provisional, you're legal to drive on your own, only cars or motorbikes. You can file this," he said handing him another paper, "to receive your permanent license. If you were to do that today, your permanent card should arrive to your home address," he paused looking down at his papers, "number five Privet Drive, in about ten days. Be safe, lad, and obey the laws." Harry could hardly believe his ears. The whole thing took about two hours, and when he stepped out the door, he saw Gabriella sitting on the hood of her car.

"Well?" she called.

Harry held up his pink paper. "I passed!" he yelled back.

"I knew you'd do it!" She ran over to him and gave him a kiss. "I'd have died, if you hadn't; let me see, let me see." She took the paper from Harry's hand as they walked to the car. "You know, of course, this means you'll have to take me with you wherever you go."

"That's easy, since it's your car," said Harry smiling.

"I'd say this deserves a celebration! How about lunch?" She climbed in the passenger side, but Harry hesitated. "Oh Harry, you just took some old steel-eyed woman around in this car, and were fine. I don't think I'm that much of a distraction am I?" He climbed in and turned the ignition.

"Well, if you were wearing a swimsuit, AND had a clipboard... maybe. Where to?" he asked.

"Duncan gave me a two-for-one coupon to Belton's; what do you say?"

Before long they were eating fish and chips by the window, as the day grew warm while they watched the people walking by. Finally he asked, "Okay, I have to know; how did you do it?"

"Well, I didn't exactly. Emma kind of helped. Last night she mentioned Duncan was going to get his provisional today now that he was turning seventeen. I told her how I'd tried to teach you after we'd been swimming," she said. "Emma's eyes lit on fire with excitement. This morning she came by handing me the birth certificate. She started by scanning Duncan's, changed the names around, printed it out, and tumbled it in the dryer."

Harry looked at it again. "It looks real to me."

"I know," she said. "She works magic with that computer of hers." At first the words didn't seem to concern Harry, but in the back of his mind they seemed to grow. Innocent enough, right? But something was bothering him, and he couldn't get his mind around it.

"I understand we're not supposed to right after eating," she paused to sip her drink, "but what do you say we go to the pool?"

"I don't have my stuff."

"It's in the car," she replied, and her eyes twinkled. She had purchased towels and a new suit for Harry. "Well, while you were having fun, I had to do something; besides, you definitely needed a suit that fits you better."

Even though it was a weekday, the pool was packed. At the gate, Gabriella had opened her bag before they even had a chance to ask. Harry recognized a few faces from last night's party, most resting in lounge chairs, and sipping drinks. As they picked their way through the crowd there were a few who called their names, one of them, Thad Zavier, came up to Harry and said, "Some party last night, eh!" Harry and Gabriella nodded, but then Thad turned squarely to Harry, turning a shoulder to Gabriella. "Good to see you at the pool, Harry." There was far too much emphasis on the word 'you', and Gabriella knew what it meant instantly. "You've run Dudley's gang out of here; Malcolm won't step foot in this place. Good going!" Harry looked around and found quite a number of people were looking in his direction, a few flashing him the thumbs up.

They found an open spot and laid out their towels. "Gabriella," he said softly, holding her hand, "he didn't mean..."

"Oh yes he did!" she snapped, and then squeezed Harry's hand. "They all mean it, Harry; don't forget that. I've seen children, half your age, carrying rifles to kill people because they wore different color robes. Whole villages have been slaughtered because they prayed to the wrong god. When they point their sites at you for being different, Harry, when they hold a knife to the throat of your...." her voice trailed off and she looked away.

His mind slipped back in time only a few months to his battle with Bellatrix; she had called him a half-blood, and had used the Cruciatus curse on Neville simply for fun. Was Thad so different from Bellatrix? A voice inside told him yes, but by how much?

"Come on," he said, "let's go for a swim." Gabriella nodded, and they both jumped in the cool water. The sun was glinting off the silver lightning-bolt that dangled from her ear; it was brilliant, flashing against her dark skin. "How could anybody not think she was the most beautiful creature that walked the earth?" he thought.

She caught him looking at her, and something about the expression on his face made her smile. She swam closer and gave him a kiss. "I do like your hair, you know." And she splashed him with a face full of water, laughed, and swam away.

The number of swimmers had thinned in half by the time they'd gathered their things to go. He hadn't slept much the night before, and the day had been very long. A few kids said goodbye as they made their way to the exit. He had been happy just being one of the crowd in Little Whinging, but his name was gathering celebrity, and it was making him uncomfortable. He just wanted to be invisible.

"Oh no!" Gabriella gasped.

He'd been holding Gabriella's hand, mindlessly walking to her car. Looking up, he saw it. On the hood was the word 'Beware'. They ran to the car. "It's only shaving cream," sighed Harry. But then, looking closer, he saw that the tires had been slashed. Gabriella began to tremble with rage.

"Safer?" she shrieked. "Is this safer, Papa?" she yelled again to the air. She took her fists and pounded the hood. "I'm so stupid!" She pounded again, each time crying out, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Harry pulled her close, and held her tight. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Always the hero," she said softly into his chest. He stroked her hair, wondering what she meant; he hadn't been much of hero this summer.

People leaving the pool passed them standing there as if nothing had happened. "Is nobody going to offer a hand?" Harry thought. After five minutes, he looked at her and said, "We'd better call your parents."

Gabriella wiped the tears from her eyes. "No... no, Papa will be at work, and Mama can't," she sniffed, "can't drive."

It would be a long walk, and calling the Dursleys was definitely out of the question. He was thinking of trying Duncan when someone called out, "Harry... Gab... Oh my god, what's happened?" It was another kid he'd met at Duncan's party the night before, he couldn't remember his name, but before long, a few more had gathered around the car. One of the girls was holding Gabriella, while Harry talked with some of the others.

Within minutes, there was a beehive of activity. One of the guys had been working a summer job driving a tow-truck. "Stand pat, mate," he said. "I'll get you and the car to the shop. I'll be back in ten minutes," he called as he ran off.

Someone else was bringing food from the snack bar. Harry looked up surprised to see it was the same man who had insisted he search Gabriella's bag on their first visit. "It'll just go to waste," he muttered as he passed Gabriella a sandwich and drink. "We'll be closing soon anyway."

Another kid Harry didn't recognize turned and said, "Harry, me da' sells tires; I've been workin' there all summer, and I know we can get yeh a good deal, but they still won' be cheap."

"I'm sorry, I've forgotten..."

"Wes, Wes Tucker," he said with a broad smile as he shook Harry's hand.

"Wes, I can get you the money," Harry whispered, "but let's keep it between you and me, eh?"

Before long, the car had been towed, and they'd been given a lift to the shop where the tires were being repaired. Quite a few kids were still hanging around, but as the task neared completion, one-by-one they said goodbye and filtered out the door. The sun had long set, as Wes called out, "That's it! Good as new; better really!" He wore a broad smile as he wiped his hands on a rag and walked over to the two of them.

Gabriella looked up at him. "Wes, I can give you..."

"Close that purse up, Gab; it's taken care of."

"What? How?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable, then seemed to hit gold. "Er, a customer turned those in today fer a new set. They were jus' headed teh be recycled, but they still have some good tread on 'em. It'd just be me labor, and that's no charge."

"Oh, you're wonderful!" she cried, and wrapped her arms around him in a huge hug. Harry simply winked.

On the way home, Gabriella drove. "I think it drives a bit better, what do you think?"

Once again, Harry had found himself drifting to sleep in her car. "What? Oh, yeah, drives great." He looked at the park passing by and thought of Malcolm. "You know, it might have been me they were trying to intimidate."

"What? Why you?"

"Dudley's gang; I can tell they haven't enjoyed Dudley holding them back this summer."

"But it's my car, not even Malcolm would..."

"Wouldn't he?" Harry interrupted. "I was the one driving when we got to the pool. Maybe he saw me get out and thought, 'Here's my chance.'"

"It doesn't matter, Harry; if they slashed the tires, whoever they were, it means they had knives." There was a moment's silence. "And... knives kill, Harry," she said with an unusual tremor in her voice. They turned down Privet Drive, and she stopped to let him sneak out before she pulled into her driveway. As he began to open the door, he stopped and looked at Gabriella.

"Did you notice?" he asked. "The man with the sandwiches?"

"Yes."

"I don't know; maybe... maybe there's still some hope. Do you think?"

"Harry," she stroked his face and kissed him, "with you at my side, I think we might just change the world."

"Can it wait till tomorrow? I'm beat," he sighed, and then grinned and stepped out of the car, gently shutting the door. Gabriella leaned toward the open window.

"I think we started tonight. They seemed to rally around you, Harry. It's your heart, everyone can see that. You were marvelous, goodnight." Harry stuck his head through the window and gave her a quick kiss. She looked at him for a moment and her eyes began to twinkle. "I love you," she breathed, then rolled up the window and drove away.

"What?" he stammered, but she was gone. He watched her pull into the driveway and disappear into the house. "I love you, too," he whispered to himself.

A cloud had rolled in front of the quarter moon, and suddenly the street had become quite dark. Harry walked toward his front steps, thinking about tomorrow. The warm air carried the sweet scent of dampness. "Rain, tonight." he thought, looking back up at the darkening sky. He was moving up the walkway, when he heard a crack like a branch snapping. Instinctively, he reached for his back pocket, but it was empty. This morning, he had left his wand in his trunk upstairs. He looked toward his darkened window, and then across the street; he could see the soft light of candle flickering off the walls in Gabriella's room. The wind began to pick up, as he looked toward the sound. In the street was a stooped, hooded figure. Harry's heart leapt.

Mixed with a gust of wind he heard, "Little Harry!" It was a woman's voice, he'd heard it before, and he'd heard those words before. Bellatrix?

The woman advanced, lifting her hand, and Harry stepped back, but his foot caught the lower step, and he fell backwards. He couldn't catch himself in time, before his head hit the upper step, and his eyes saw a blinding flash of white. He could hear her running toward him, but he couldn't see; his head was spinning. He was trying to lift himself up, when she grabbed him by the shoulders. He spun to strike when...

"Are you okay, dear?"

It was Mrs. Figg. Harry lowered his hand. "Well, boy, are you okay? The fog was slowly clearing from Harry's head, and he began to focus on the elderly woman's face.

"Mrs. Figg?" She brought him to his feet. "Is that you?"

"Harry Potter, have you been drinking?" she said sharply.

"My head... I fell. Have you been watching me?"

"Watching you?" she chuckled. "Heavens no. I was just up at the market getting some milk." She brought her face in close, sniffed, and apparently satisfied let go of his arm and stepped back. "I should think you, of all people, would know better than to be wandering the streets alone at this time of night. If Dumbledore knew..."

Harry hadn't thought too much about Dumbledore. "Is he having me trailed again this year?" His eyes glanced back down the street. "Because if he is, I want them to stop. Tell him that I don't..."

"No one's trailing you, Harry," she cut in. "I've been told specifically to let you have your leave. But I would think you'd still come to visit on occasion. It seems you're getting on better with the Dursleys, I hear." Her voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"Well, I... er, yeah. They're loads better this year. Dudley's even talking to me."

"And you'll be staying through the summer?"

"I hope so."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with Mrs. Darbinyan's cooking?"

"I thought you said..."

"Well, I'm not blind boy. Mind you, I haven't said anything, but you'd best watch yourself. You don't know anything about these people. For all you know they could be..."

"They're not terrorists!" he snapped.

"Idiot, boy, for all you know they could be working for him."

"Well, they're not; I'd know. I've seen the likes that work for Voldemort, and they're not it."

"Very well, very well." She picked up her shopping bag. "Just remember, all that glitters is not gold. He's turned brother on brother, friend on friend, husband on wife. Don't delude yourself into thinking it couldn't happen."

He watched her for a while walk down the street toward her waiting cats. He glanced up at Gabriella's window. The light still flickered. Had she seen? The day of her first arrival, he had wondered if her family was in league with Voldemort. "You are an idiot, boy," he thought to himself. "Not everything and everyone has to do with Voldemort." He climbed the steps and went inside.

Quietly, he slipped in to the Dursley living room, and made his way up the stairs, rubbing the back of his head. The only sound was the rhythmic snore from Uncle Vernon reverberating through the walls. When he opened the door to his bedroom, he let out a small gasp of surprise. Standing in front of him was George Weasley, and on Harry's bed, covered in blood, was George's twin brother Fred.