Harry Potter and the Power of Emotions

Chapter three: Birthday at the Headquarters.

Harry and Ron were awakened by Mrs. Weasley at eight o'clock the next morning.

"Time already?" muttered Harry.

"There is time for a quick breakfast. Tonks and Alastor are already here," said Mrs. Weasley kindly and went to wake the others. Harry and Ron dressed as quickly as they could and walked slowly downstairs.

"Wotcher, Harry!" said Tonks as she greeted him. Her hair was blue and spiky this time. Then she went to greet Ron.

Alastor said in his low, growling voice: "Are you all right, Potter?"

"Yes, I am," replied Harry.

After breakfast they all went outside. Tonks flung out her wand and with a bang the Knight Bus stopped in front of them.

"Welcome to the..." started Stan, but he was quickly silenced by Tonks. Tonks and Moody helped the rest inside. They sat down on some chairs on the second deck of the bus. They bumped, swayed and shook all the way to London. Tonks didn't let Stan bother Harry too much; she didn't particularly like Stan. So the pack got off in Grimmauld Place. Their luggage would already be at the Headquarters, for Mr. Weasley had brought it from the Burrow.

Moody knocked on the door. Lupin opened the door.

"Come all in," Lupin said. "Harry, Dumbledore wants a word with you, in your bedroom."

So Harry walked up the stairs and crossed the now familiar, dingy landing. When he opened the door he looked straight into the face of Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello Harry," began Dumbledore, "you probably wonder why I asked to Lupin to send you in here in order to talk to you. Sit down, and I will tell you."

Harry sat down on the bed next to Dumbledore and looked up at him. Before Dumbledore spoke he put an Imperturbable Charm on the door and the window.

"I have a question for you. You obviously know that we had some trouble last year about getting an new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year it's obviously the same. There are really dark times ahead and nobody seems to want the job anymore. I wanted to ask you if you would like to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

Harry felt dumbstruck as Dumbledore said this.

"You're kidding," Harry finally said.

"No, I'm not, Mr. Potter. You did very well in teaching the students last year. That's why I wanted to ask you," explained Dumbledore.

"But, I'm much too young, I don't know enough yet," tried Harry. "Lupin would be so much better than me. I don't think the parents wouldn't like their children being taught by an underage wizard, just like they don't like them being taught by a werewolf."

"True," said Dumbledore. "I will honour your wishes and ask Professor Lupin." Dumbledore lifted the Imperturbable Charm and Disapparated.

Harry was still in a state of shock when Ron entered, closely followed by Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny. "What was it Dumbledore wanted to talk to you about?" asked Ron impatiently.

"He..." started Harry. "He offered me a job." Fred and George started to laugh, Ginny and Hermione looked at each other as though they thought Harry was going crazy.

Ron, on the other hand, said: "A job... you must be joking. What kind of job should he have offered you then?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts," Harry said with a strange feeling in his stomach. "I declined though. Lupin is getting the job now. I am much too young to be a... a teacher."

"No, you're not, Harry," said Hermione. "You taught us all in DA last year!" Harry saw there was no way that they would let themselves be convinced. He also knew he needed more knowledge to defeat Voldemort.

Harry finally said: "It doesn't matter anymore, Hermione; I declined. Lupin has got the job!"

Now that Harry was back at the Headquarters, things started getting back to normal, although Lupin made sure that they studied in Harry's Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts books. Snape, who seemed to make extra visits to the Headquarters near full moon, made the Wolfsbane Potion for Lupin because it was nearly full moon. A day before Harry's birthday Professor Lupin was therefore locked with Buckbeak in Sirius' mother's old room by Mr. Weasley. The werewolf Lupin seemed calmer when there were animals around. And Buckbeak was large enough to keep a werewolf in check.

On the thirty-first of July Harry woke at seven o'clock in the morning. Although it was still early, he went down to the kitchen. He found the others already assembled around the kitchen table, singing 'Happy Birthday, Harry' as he entered. Tonks, Moody, Kingsley and Dung were also present. Harry saw that he had quite a lot of presents. The Dursleys had sent him a paper towel. Tonks gave him a book about metamorphmagi. Fred and George gave him some free products from their store. Ron gave him some sweets while Ginny gave him a book about Quidditch. Bill and his girlfriend Fleur gave him a book called French for Beginners. Luna had sent him the copy of The Quibbler. Hagrid and Grawp had bought him some of his favourite candy. Dung tried to give him some shallow-bottomed cauldrons, but Mrs. Weasley confiscated them to Harry's pleasure and Dung's dismay. Mrs. Weasley had made him a new jumper. Mr. Weasley and Lupin gave him a envelope. Harry opened it and read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

You are the sole beneficiary of the late Sirius Black. You therefore inherit all his worldly belongings, which include his houses and his bank account. For a full account of your inheritance, you can reach me by owl.

Yours sincerely,

Geoffrey Moneymaker

Notary

"This house is... mine?" asked Harry when he had finished the letter.

"If that's what the letter said, then it is yours," said Lupin.

"What did it say more, Harry?" asked Tonks.

"It said that everything that belonged to Sirius is now mine."

He couldn't believe it. Everything seemed to happen to him. It used to be all bad, but now it was also something good. He would do anything to have Sirius alive and well again, but he knew he couldn't. Therefore he decided to do something in Sirius' honour. He just didn't know what just now. He only knew he would. He owned the Headquarters, another house somewhere else, he had a second vault at Gringotts and he was the Master of... the Master of Kreacher. He had a house-elf.