Out of the Books

Chapter 18 - Family Reunion

With their brother and his two best friends looking at them curiously, Leo and Amy suddenly became aware of the heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders. They were the ones who needed to tell Harry the truth about him not being the only Potter any longer in this world, or at least prepare him somehow for it until their parents woke up. But how could they tell someone, who had been an orphan for all his life that not only his parents had returned from the dead but that he also had a brother and a sister now?

While their thoughts were still running in wild circles about how to start an explanation, Hermione had asked something and was now looking at the twins in wait for an answer.

Amy snapped out of her thoughts, and noticing Hermione's gaze, she blushed slightly. "Excuse me? I didn't pay attention."

"I said, we had never seen you at Hogwarts. And I wanted to know, how you know us," the older girl replied patiently.

"You're right, we are not attending Hogwarts. We...we read about you," Leo blurted out.

Amy could see how Harry rolled his eyes and she couldn't help to grin at him, apparently that answer didn't surprise him so much, considering how famous he was and how the newspapers must write about him quite often.

"Harry," came Hermione's startled gasp. "Harry, did you see that?"

After having shaken his head and having waited for several seconds, what he had been supposed to see, he turned around to Hermione irritably. "What?" he asked.

Hermione ignored him and looked very closely at Amy, her face showing a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "You...what's your name?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Amy and that is my brother Leo," she said and stuck out her hand to the older girl.

Hermione shook it distractedly, before returning her attention to the two boys again.

"Doesn't it strike you, how similar those two look to Harry?" she asked, pointing at Leo and Amy. "Amy even has exactly the same grin as you, Harry."

Hermione was now looking back and forth between Harry and his siblings as if she was following a tennis match, while Ron and Harry exchanged doubtful glances.

Biting her lip, Hermione looked at the twins once more, gathering up the courage to ask the question she had been wondering about, ever since the similarity of the to teenagers had caught her eye.

"Are you relatives of Harry?" she asked fast, as if it was easier to get over with it quickly.

"I have no living relatives!" Harry cried inadvertently, irritation being apparent on his face.

Seeing Harry's vehement reaction to Hermione's question, Leo bit back his answer, exchanged a worried look with Amy and both of them remained silent.

"Where did you read about us, anyway?" Ron broke the uneasy silence, trying to stir the conversation away from the topic, which apparently upset Harry.

He received a grateful glance from Harry and an angry stare from Hermione simultaneously.

Leo smiled. An idea had occurred to him how the three Hogwarts students might believe them who they were and where they came from without shocking them too much.

"We read about you in a book. It's called 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'," he told them.

"I don't know that one," admitted Hermione with a frown.

Harry and Ron whirled around to stare at their friend. "WHAT?"

While Ron danced a small jig and sang, "There is a book she doesn't know, dup di do...", Harry shared a thoughtful look with Hermione, but then shrugged.

"Oh well, I guess there must be some books about me out there," he said carelessly. "With me being their 'Chosen One'," he added sarcastically.

"It's not a history book or something like that. It's a novel for children," said Amy, not exactly knowing what her brother meant with 'Chosen One'. "Why don't you come upstairs with us? Then we could show you."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a shrug. They didn't know the two teenagers and in times like these it probably wasn't wise to trust someone they didn't know. Especially Harry had a funny feeling about these two. But on the other hand were they in Grimmauld Place and that was still protected by the Fidelius Charm so there had to be a reason that they were able to be in this house. And they didn't seem to have wands. Where they wizards at all? Still, not wanting to take a risk, Harry drew his wand and walked up the stair behind everyone else.

Some time later the five teenagers entered the bed room, where Leo and Amy had awoken this afternoon.

It was the same room, Harry had shared with Ron when they spent their last summer and Christmas at Grimmauld Place, and while Ron sat on the bed, which he had occupied last year, Harry stood uncertainly in the doorway. It hurt to remember the time he had spent in this house when Sirius had still lived here.

Swallowing back those painful memories, he watched Amy go over to the bed, in which he had slept when he was here during the last holiday, and rummage in a backpack which leant against the head piece of the bed. A few moments later she took out what she had been looking for - a used looking book with a colourful cover.

With a look at Harry she gave it to Hermione who was standing next to the bed on which Ron was sitting.

Hermione frowned at the cover but didn't say anything, so that Ron pulled her down next to him.

"What is - hey that book is broken! The pictures don't move!" he declared indignantly and tried to pry it out of Hermione's hands.

Hermione glared at him and looked curiously at Amy. "Is it a muggle book?"

"Oh, Hermione, don't be stupid! Why should the muggles write a book about Harry and his first year at Hogwarts? How would they even know about it?" asked Ron with a superior voice, probably being proud that he had thought about an aspect of the matter, not even Hermione had considered.

His eyes widened disbelievingly, when he saw Amy and Leo nod in answer to Hermione's question.

Even Harry decided to get over his uneasiness now and join his friends, who were examining the book. He sat down at the other side of Hermione, just when she opened the mysterious book to look what was written into it.

Curiously Harry scanned the randomly opened page and grinned.

"Look at this!" He pointed at a line. "Do you remember that? That was the night we found Fluffy."

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

She stood up, glaring at them.
"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed.

"Hermione, you were such a nightmare in the beginning of our first year," laughed Ron. "Honestly, you've come a long way since then." He endeavoured for a fatherly voice and patted her shoulder benevolently.

Hermione didn't smile. "It's not good," she muttered, scratching her forehead in thought. "It's not good at all. So dangerous..."

"Don't want to interrupt, but it is kind of hard to know what you're talking about, when you're just babbling incoherent nonsense," grumbled Ron irritably.

"Oh think, Ron," Hermione snapped. "How can that possibly be in there? We never told anyone about that, did we!" She looked inquiringly at her two best friends, but when she saw them shaking their heads slowly with a frown, she slammed the book shut.

"That book is dangerous! Imagine what it could do in the wrong hands! Imagine Voldemort could read everything about our thoughts, our behaviour, our strengths and weaknesses!" She shuddered at the thought.

"Don't worry!" Leo used the uneasy silence Hermione's words had created. "This book is the only copy in this world."

Deep frowns formed on the foreheads of the two wizards and the witch simultaneously.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry at the same time as Ron repeated "This world?" incredulously.

"Excuse me," began Hermione in a bossy voice, which made the two boys smile slightly. "It's rather confusing when you only tell us random details. Why don't you start at the beginning."

Harry and Ron shared a raised eyebrow. "Look who is talking. Should take her own advice sometimes, shouldn't she?" muttered Ron darkly.

He was ignored as Leo and Amy settled down at the other bed, getting ready to tell their story.

"Well, the book was written by Joanne Rowling, a muggle author, who lives in some kind of a parallel world, where magic doesn't exist," began Leo hesitantly.

The more than sceptic looks he earned from Ron, Hermione and Harry told him that this would be harder than he thought.

"Okay," drawled Ron, "So where did you get this book from then?"

Feeling that they wouldn't believe her, Amy fumbled with her fingers while answering. "We brought it with us. We arrived from this other world just in the morning," she said, looking at her audience expectantly.

They didn't comment but were staring at Amy, waiting for her to continue.

Amy blushed under the intense glances. "Well anyway, for almost everyone at home the wizarding world exists only in books and fairy tales. All of you are nothing more than characters in a book for them."

"Hey, I'm real!" interrupted Ron indignantly. "I'm not just some invented character!"

"We know," said Amy in a placatory way. "But most other people in our world aren't aware of that." Then she continued her explanation. "Some people, who die in your world, are not really dead at all but are only transported into this other world, where they live on."

Harry's heart missed a beat. Sirius! His parents! Was it possible that they were still alive? That they weren't dead at all, but trapped in another world, damned to lead a life as muggles. Maybe they would find a way to return to the wizarding world sometime. There must be a way. The children had travelled between the worlds as well. Or maybe he should try to find a way into this other world. Maybe he just had to get himself killed...and then Voldemort would win.

Who guaranteed him that the children were telling the truth? What if Voldemort had sent them. Did he think he could coax Harry into committing suicide with this cock-and-bull-story? Did he really think Harry would believe this nonsense of other worlds and afterlife? How stupid did they all think Harry was?

He heard how Ron asked "So were you also killed in this world?"

"No," answered the girl. "We were born into the other world, but our parents have been wizards."

"Of course!" Hermione said, her eyes shining in a way, they always did, when she had figured something out.

"So you really are relatives of Harry! Are you cousins or even his si--"

"Shut up!" whispered Harry dangerously and stared menacingly at the twins. "Shut up and get out of here! I'm not believing a single word you're saying!"

Four startled pairs of eyes turned toward him. "Harry, what's wrong?" asked Hermione worriedly.

He whirled around at his best friend. "What's wrong? I tell you what's wrong. We've been sitting around here for far too long, listening to the lies of people we don't even know, with nobody knowing where we are." He grew louder with every sentence, almost shouting the last one. Realising his loud voice, he blinked and cleared his throat. "We should go back," he said flatly and turned to go.

"But Harry," said Hermione urgently. "What if they are right. What if they really are your siblings."

"They aren't", said Harry with such calm sureness that it hurt in Amy's and Leo's heart.

"Hermione, I think Harry is right. We don't even know them. They could be sent by You-know-who..." Ron trailed off, when he received Hermione's glare.

"Harry, don't be stupid!" All the evidence pointed towards the twins being right. Why couldn't the boys see that? Especially Harry should be jumping at the possibility of really having relatives. He doesn't want to get his hopes up, realized Hermione a moment later. He is afraid of being disappointed again. "Harry, look at the similarities between Leo and Amy and yourself. You should at least listen to what they are saying. Don't you want to find out, whether they really are your siblings?" she said gently.

"Having black hair, which is hopeless to fight against, doesn't make anyone my brother or sister," he hissed, feeling betrayed that Hermione didn't share his distrust into the children.

"Now, are you coming back to the Burrow or will you rather stay with them?" he snapped and made his way towards the door.

Ron uneasily watched his two best friends glaring at each other. Not being sure, what to think, Ron shrugged apologetically at Hermione and joined Harry at the door.

Hermione was clearly torn. You know, you should go with them," mumbled Amy. "Sorry, we didn't want to create a rift between you, or something like that," she added nervously.

Hermione sighed and got up to leave together with the boys. "Don't worry about it. We'll come back later."

"Yeah sure," muttered Harry and opened the door.

Amy and Leo looked sorrowfully at each other after the door had closed behind the three wizards. They had imagined the first meeting with their brother to go differently. Maybe they hadn't quite hoped for him to fall around their necks, but that he wouldn't acknowledge them at all was hard on them.

"Well, I guess it is really hard to believe," conceded Leo. "And we can't transform ourselves like Dad and Padfoot did."

"At least Hermione believes us," consoled Amy. "Maybe she can talk with Harry and he will give us another chance. And then we could try to get Mum and Da--"

Loud screaming downstairs interrupted Amy.

Amy and Leo jumped to their feet, flustered. "It sounds like a fight. They are attacked! Come on, we have to help them!"

They darted through the door and hurried down the stairs.

On the last landing Amy stopped so abruptly that Leo ran into her and almost knocked her down the stairs. The scene, which played out in front of them just looked bizarre. Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing in the middle of the hallway, being shouted at by a slightly plump woman with red hair. All three of them were looking down and while at least Harry and Ron were probably a head taller than the screaming woman, they looked so miserable right now that they almost seemed smaller than her.

Behind the three teenagers was a portrait with another woman, screaming her lungs out, but being ignored by everyone present.

Between the screeching of the two women it was impossible for Leo and Amy to make out any coherent sentences at all. Only fragments were coming through to them. "...use your brains before acting"... "Filthy mudblood"... "been so worried" ... "bunch of bloodtraitors" ... "expected more sense than that"...

Amy and Leo were so rapt by the spectacle downstairs that they hardly noticed Sirius passing them, grimacing about the loud and shrill nagging of the two women.

"Hey, what is all that racket about?!"

He pushed his way through the children and ran down the last set of stairs, to pull the curtain over his mother's portrait shut again. Molly went silent as well, staring at Sirius as if she was seeing a ghost.

After having successfully put the portrait to sleep again, he took a deep relieved breath and turned around to Molly and Harry. He didn't know how his godson would react to seeing him here, whether he would be as suspicious and cautious as Remus had been, but he had been looking forward so much to see him again.

Harry was staring at his godfather, unable to say anything.

Hesitating slightly, Sirius closed the distance between them carefully and took Harry in his arms. When he had fallen through the Veil in this horrible night in the Department of Mysteries, he had never hoped to ever see the boy again.

After a moment of going stiff in Sirius's arms, Harry returned the hug, clutching his godfather so forcefully that Sirius's ribs started hurting. "You're back. You're really back. They were right." Harry said it again and again, as if he had to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming.

He knew it was impossible that Sirius was back and at the same time he knew that it was really him. Amy and Leo had told the truth. But that meant...

He drew back and swallowed hard. "So, my parents are there too?" he croaked, hoping that he would say yes and dreading that he would say no.

Sirius looked up over Harry's shoulder and Harry turned around to follow his gaze. Up there, at the landing, next to the twins - they really were his siblings, he realized with wonder - stood Lily and James Potter. They looked a bit tired and cold in their pyjamas, being woken up by the racket, which had been going on some minutes earlier.

Harry felt that his heart was swelling to a huge lump, which set uncomfortably in his throat and if it grew just a little more it would explode. He had never felt so much happiness before. His parents were standing there, not even five metres away from him, alive, smiling at him.

He let go of Sirius and walked forward two steps, when he stopped, a sudden fear gripping his heart. How many stories had he heard of his parents? How often had friends of them told him what they had been like? And Harry had loved to listen to them. His parents had been heroes to him - far away and infallible. Until last year when he had gotten a glimpse of what his father had really been like for the first time in a pensieve from the memories of Snape - and it had been a nasty shock for Harry.

What if his parents were totally different from the image of them he had had all his life?

As if she had read his thoughts, Hermione put a soft hand on his arm. "They love you Harry. That's what counts," she said softly.

Harry looked up and saw in their faces the same insecurity and nervousness he felt, but he also saw hope, happiness, pride and love. He smiled gratefully at Hermione, nodded and walked up the stairs.