Visitor from the Future

Chapter 11: Summer Ends (Part 1)

When Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall, they went and sat down next to the girls at the Gryffindor table. Harry sat down next to Ginny, who looked up at him, which caused them both to blush slightly. Hermione, sitting across from them, watched the byplay, and her eyes widened, and she would have said something if Ron hadn't sat down next to her, and smiled at her. Hermione blushed along with Ron, and all four teens were quickly looking only at their plates, until the food showed up, and, over the course of the meal, they relaxed once again.

At the High Table, the adults watched this and all shared smiles, since they knew what it meant: there were going to be two new couples at Hogwarts this year.

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Three days later, after dinner, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were walking around the castle, looking for Harry. He had disappeared with Remus a few hours ago, and they weren't in their quarters or the library, or the Quidditch pitch, so the three were slightly concerned.

"What about the Room of Requirements? Could they be there?" Ron asked, running his hand through his hair.

"Couldn't hurt to check, I suppose," Hermione sighed. She was concerned about Harry. Remus and Harry had been disappearing every evening after dinner, and no one would see them until the next morning in the Great Hall. Hermione didn't want to be nosey, but she wanted to know where they had been going.

Reaching the corridor where the Room of Requirements was, the three saw a simple wooden door there, which meant that someone was inside. Opening the door, Hermione walked in first, then stopped suddenly, causing Ginny to run into her, and Ron to run into Ginny. All three teens gasped at what they saw before them.

Standing in the center of a raised dais, Harry and Remus were dueling. What was most incredible though, was the fact that Harry was glowing. The teens could feel the power coming off of Harry, and it was a little disconcerting. Harry had his wand in one hand, and the other up in front of him, which was glowing a pale silver-blue, like the shield surrounding him. The spells being traded between the two were obviously powerful, since one that Remus had dodged to avoid hit the wall and left a smoldering black spot.

The duel ended when Harry managed to hit Remus with a spell, tearing the wand from the werewolf's hand, and into Harry's. They turned to jump down off the dais when they noticed the three teens standing at the doorway, each with a completely gobsmacked expression on their faces. Harry froze like a deer caught in headlights, his green eyes wide.

Hermione was the first to speak. "Wh-what is going on in here? What were you doing performing magic Harry! You'll get in trouble- you- you... cast a shield... wit-without a wand? Since when can you do wandless magic? That's really rare Harry! What..." She trailed off at seeing Harry seemingly shrink into himself at every question she asked him, almost as though he were ashamed at being caught.

Ginny put a hand on Hermione's shoulder, and shook her head slightly at the other girl to tell her to stop talking. Calmly, she turned back to the two standing on the dais. "We had been wondering where you two had been going after dinner, and since you weren't in your quarters or anywhere else we could think you two would be, we decided to check here. We were just curious what you two had been doing."

Remus looked at Harry, and said something to him, to which Harry responded with a head nod. Remus looked back at the three teens by the door, and said softly, "Well, I guess since you're here, it wouldn't hurt for some explanations. Perhaps, though, they could be in more comfortable surroundings?" The room suddenly expanded, adding a cozy seating area with a number of comfortable chairs scattered around a low coffee table.

All five sat down, and at Remus' look, Harry took a deep breath and began to talk, telling his friends about the "vision" he had, although not in any specific terms, just that he had been showed what would happen if he didn't train his new powers soon, and about his "awakening."

"...and, basically, Moony and I have been in here every evening, practicing with my new powers. It seems like my spells are stronger now, and yes, Hermione, I can now do wandless magic. It takes more concentration than magic with my wand, but... if I can do it just as easily, then it'll be an advantage against Voldemort (Ron shuddered slightly, to which the girls rolled their eyes) when I have to meet him again." Harry looked up at his friends, and waited for them to talk.

Hermione was, again, the first to speak. "What do you mean, Harry 'when I have to meet him again?' Isn't that why you're here at Hogwarts? So he can't get to you?"

Harry sighed, and looked away from them. "I have to meet him again, 'Mione. It's the only way this will end."

"But Harry, what do you mean?"

Harry finally turned back to them, and they all were shocked at the anguished and haunted look in his eyes. "I'm the only one who can kill him. At least that's what the Prophecy said." Continuing on, over his friend's attempts to speak, "I know that the Prophecy sphere had been destroyed, but that was only the recorded copy of it. Dumbledore, who had been the one to hear it in the first place, told me all of it."

Ginny, searching Harry's eyes, said quietly, "What did it say, Harry?"

For a long while, Harry was silent, and everyone thought Harry wouldn't answer. Then, looking down at his hands, Harry spoke in barely a whisper.

"...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

The three who hadn't heard the Prophecy before sat in stunned silence, trying to come to terms with the fact that their friend would have to either become a murderer or die in order for the war to end. Ginny got up from her chair, and knelt in front of Harry, and, smiling sadly at him with tears in her eyes, wrapped her arms around him. Harry returned the hug, burying his face in Ginny's hair, and tried to stop the tears he wanted to shed. Hermione had reached for Ron's hand, and the two sat their, gripping hands, fear and concern etched on their faces. Silent tears fell down Hermione's cheeks, and Ron looked on the verge of crying too.

After some time, Ginny pulled back, and placed her hands on either side of Harry's face. "You'll beat him, Harry. You'll beat him, and you'll live."

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The next morning, as the teens sat eating breakfast, chatting quietly, Professor Dumbledore got up and stood behind them, and cleared his throat to get their attention. When the four had looked up, Dumbledore, eyes twinkling madly, handed four envelopes to the teens, and said, "I believe that these are yours, children?"

Hermione had gone pale at seeing the envelopes, and held her envelope in her hands, trembling. "Oh, what if I failed? I know that I didn't do as well on Astronomy as I had hoped, what with that horrible Umbridge woman and her attacking Hagrid and Professor McGonagall, and..." she all but wailed, and would have continued if Ginny hadn't snatched the envelope from her hands.

"Oh, come on 'Mione. I'll bet you've done incredibly and got, like, 12 billion OWLs." Seeing Hermione about to protest, Ginny silenced her by simply opening the envelope for her, and reading it. Her eyes went wide, and she looked from Hermione back to the parchment, her mouth silent, trying to form words. Finally, Ginny was able to speak coherently. "Twelve OWLs? Eleven O's and one E? My God, 'Mione! That's- that's incredible!" Her face broke out into a wide grin, and thrust the sheet under Hermione's nose.

While Hermione was busy staring at her scores, Ron and Harry had both opened their envelopes, and had, after looking at each other reassuringly, taken their scores out and looked at them.

Harry stared at his sheet, barely believing what he was seeing.

OWL Results for Harry James Potter

(A grade of O, EE, or A denote a passing grade, worth 1 OWL.

A grade of P, D, or T denote a fail, worth no OWL.)

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: EE

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O+*

Divination: A

Herbology: EE

History of Magic: P

Potions: O

Transfiguration: EE

Congratulations, Mr. Potter! You have received 8 OWLs, with an overall score of Exceeds Expectations.

Congratulations, Mr. Potter! You are the first student in 117 years to score a 105% on your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL.

After a moment, Harry looked up towards the High Table, where a number of the teachers, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley were sitting. Harry got up, and walked up to where Remus was seated, and passed his scores over, smiling shyly at his guardian.

Remus picked up the sheet and read them over. He looked up at Harry with a proud smile, and said, "You did great, Pronglet! Good job." Softer, so only Harry could hear, he continued, "Lily, James, and Sirius would be so proud of you. I know I am."

Mrs. Weasley leaned over and asked kindly, "May I ask what you got, Harry dear?"

Harry turned to her, and smiled, and handed her the sheet. She too looked at them, and beamed proudly at him, before handing him back the sheet with a quiet, "I'm so proud of you, dear." Harry walked back to his sheet, to find his friends still staring at their scores. He rolled his eyes at Ginny, and sat down next to her, handing her his scores.

Ginny read them, and squealed before throwing her arms around Harry in a hug, murmuring in his ear, "You did so well, Harry!" She then turned to her brother, and said, "Ron? Ron? RON!"

Ron's head shot up, and he stared blankly at his sister with wide eyes, before looking back down at his scores.

Sighing loudly, Ginny grabbed his sheet, and read them over. "Wow, Ron! Good job! Seven OWLs, that's awesome."

Hearing what Ginny had said, Mrs. Weasley got up and walked over to the table, and proceeded to give her trademark hugs to each of them, saying over and over, "I'm so proud of you! Good job!" Her actions left Ron embarrassed, his ears and cheeks red, while Harry and Hermione both accepted the hugs with good grace, smiling back at her, replying, "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

Ginny, shaking her head at her friends and brother, opened her letter and pulled it out. She froze, and slowly turned the envelope upside down. A shiny badge fell out of the envelope, and she picked it up with trembling hands. The front of the badge had a shiny "P" on it, in Gryffindor red and gold.

Seeing the badge, Mrs. Weasley gave her daughter a bone-crushing hug, and proclaimed over and over again, "A prefect! Oh, how wonderful, Ginny dear! Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

Finally released, Ginny, who was trying to catch her breath and get her blush under control, looked over at Harry, who rolled his eyes and smiled at her, congratulating her. Ginny also rolled her eyes, and giggled. The four teens eventually went back to their meals, now talking loudly about the new school year.

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Two days later, the four teens, Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie Weasley, Remus, Tonks, and Mad-Eye were standing in the Entrance Hall, waiting on the four teens, who came running down the staircase, talking and laughing loudly. The group would be going to Diagon Alley today to pick up the students' supplies for the school year.

Making sure everyone was there, and having been subject to Mad-Eye's "Constant Vigilance!" speech (which everyone had heard many times before), they gathered around the length of rope Remus held out, and each placed a finger on it. Seeing everyone ready, Remus activated the Portkey, and the group was whisked away to Diagon Alley, or more specifically, to the back office of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, Fred and George's joke shop.

Landing in the office, the four teens and Tonks all stumbled and ended up on the floor while the other adults had made more dignified landings. While everyone was getting up and, in some cases, brushing dust off from landing on the floor, Fred and George came into the office, and their eyes lit up at seeing the group.

"Well, morning you lot!"

"Welcome to our humble establishment folks!"

"Yes, we are most honored at the visit of our private investor."

"Don't you mean our ONLY investor, Gred?"

"Yeah, private, only, same thing, right Forge?"

"What are you two boys talking about?" Mrs. Weasley said with her hands on her hips. She was staring intently at her two sons, and as a result didn't see the pained look cross Harry's face before he muttered under his breath so quietly that only Ginny heard him, "Traitors." Ginny snickered, which unfortunately caught her mother's attention, and she whirled around and looked at them with her eyebrow raised, silently waiting for an answer.

Taking a deep breath, Harry looked in Mrs. Weasley's eyes, and said quietly, "I gave them money, Mrs. Weasley. All the prize money from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I told them to put it to good use, since I didn't want or need it. They are really good at what they do, Mrs. Weasley, and I'll tell you what I told them: Everyone's going to need something to laugh about, what with Voldemort out there again. I don't regret giving them the money, Mrs. Weasley, so please don't get mad at them because of it."

For a long moment, Mrs. Weasley was silent, making Harry more and more nervous. Finally, she sighed, and came to stand in front of Harry, and searched his eyes, before touching his cheek as only a mother can, and said quietly, "Harry, dear, I'm not mad at you, or even at them. That was a very sweet thing of you to do for them. Thank you." She smiled slightly, and continued, "I have to admit, that I never thought they could ever become as successful as they have, and I guess I have you to thank you for that, dear." She gave Harry a quick hug, then turned around to face her two sons again, and said archly, "I trust you won't feel it necessary to keep such things from me again, boys?"

Both of the twins, who had blanched at their mother's attention returning to them, nodded frantically, which led everyone to laugh at them, effectively dispelling the tension in the room that had built up.

The twins cleared their throats, then seemed to get back into their element, and gestured expansively towards the door to the main storeroom floor, while saying, "We welcome you, to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes!"

The store, while not overly large, was completely filled to the brim with the twins' products. Shelves filled with Skiving Snackboxes, Canary Creams, fake wands, and all sorts of pranks, toys, and candies lined every wall of the shop, and filled every display, which were currently being perused by a crowd of customers, the majority of whom were teens. Looking around, Harry saw some students he knew went to Hogwarts, as well as other patrons. He turned back to the twins, and said, "Wow, looks like business has been good, you two."

"Yes, dear Harrikins, business has been great!"

"Of course, dear ickle brother-in-everything-but-blood, it's all thanks to you! Without your generous donation, we would still be working out of our old bedroom with owl-orders. You've helped bring our noble profession to the masses, dear Harry, and for that, we thank you."

Harry smiled mischievously at the twins before turning around and walking off, his voice floating back to them, "Well, what did you two expect from the son of a Marauder?"

Their shocked silence was sweet to Harry, and he spotted Ginny, who rolled her eyes at him, before grabbing his hand as they walked around the store, both chuckling quietly at the twins' response to finding out part of who their idols had been. As such, neither noticed the twins, along with Bill and Charlie, raise their eyebrows at the two holding hands, before exchanging looks that would, and in fact had in the past, terrify many a prospective boyfriend away from Ginny. The Weasley Brother Test of Worthiness to Date Our Little Sister would begin immediately, and the best part was, Harry would have no idea what was going on.

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The rest of the day went by rather quickly and without incident, except if you were Harry. Harry had quickly noticed that, no matter where he and Ginny went, either Bill or Charlie would follow them, and the look on the elder Weasleys' faces when they thought Harry wasn't looking concerned him, since it was rather predatory in nature, much like a pack of wild animals would give its prey before attacking. However, since Ron seemed oblivious to whatever it was that Bill and Charlie were involved in, Harry relaxed slightly. As long as he had at least one Weasley brother on his side, Harry felt more comfortable facing whatever it was the others would throw at him.

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Finished with all their shopping, which had included stops at Madam Malkin's for new robes for Harry and Ron (the two boys had both outgrown their old school robes), Flourish and Blotts for books (where Ron had to forcibly drag Hermione out after two hours of her wandering through the shelves, exclaiming over various tomes she wanted to read), and Quality Quidditch Supplies (where Hermione had been forced to drag Ron, Ginny, and Harry away from the display of the new Nimbus brooms, especially the Keeper and Chaser Editions), the apothecary store, where Harry, Hermione, and Ginny restocked their potion kits (Ron had only gotten an A in Potions, which wouldn't get him into Snape's NEWT level class, since Snape only accepted students who had gotten an O on the Potions OWL into the class), the quill and stationary shop, and various other places, the group made their way back to Fred and George's shop to take a return portkey back to Hogwarts.

Landing in the Entrance Hall, Mrs. Weasley immediately told the teens to take their bags to where they were staying and put them away. Putting all his stuff in his room in his and Remus' quarters, Harry went out to the sitting room and collapsed in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. Remus, walking in and seeing Harry, chuckled and sat down in the chair next to him. Harry cracked an eye open and smiled at him, before joining in on Remus' laughter after a moment.

After catching their breath, Remus looked over at Harry, his mood dimming slightly, before he stood up and went into his rooms, and after a moment, came back out with a small chest in his hands. Harry, seeing Remus walk out, sat up and watched his guardian, who sat down in his chair and placed the chest on the coffee table.

Remus turned to Harry, "Um, I had planned to give you this... earlier, but with... everything that's happened..."

Harry moved forward in his chair, and looked at the chest, then at Remus. "What is it?"

"This is a chest that we made during school." Remus opened the chest up, revealing notebooks and scrolls of parchment, along with spare bits of parchment and envelopes full of photos. "There's all our notes on our pranks, animagus training, and even just our random notes to each other during class. I know that there's also letters that James and Lily wrote each other. The pictures are from school and after graduation, James and Lily's wedding, and after you were born. Sirius... had planned to give this to you, but now... I thought I'd give this to you now." Remus' smile was bittersweet, remembering his friends.

Harry reached forward, and brushed his hand against the chest. There were tears standing in his eyes as he reached in and picked up one of the picture envelopes. Pulling the pictures out, he had to choke back tears seeing his parents, Sirius, and Remus together. In all the pictures Harry looked at, he noticed that Wormtail had walked out: evidently, the traitor was not welcome even in photographs from years ago.

For the rest of the evening, Remus and Harry looked through the chest, and Remus told Harry about the Marauder's adventures during school. Harry had to admit that this was the best birthday present he could have been given: a view into his parents and his past.