Harry Potter and the Veil of Mystery

Chapter 6

The End of Summer

The next three weeks passed by far more quickly than summers usually did for Harry. The highlights were, of course, Dumbledore's Occlumency lessons. It was always good to see Dumbledore; he exuded a calm and strength that Harry found magnetic. He and the others felt they were making good progress with Occlumency. They were better able to reach a relaxed state before going to bed, and had increasing success at blocking Dumbledore's attempts to penetrate their defenses during practice sessions. Harry also felt that his increased focus on mental calm was helping his tolerance of living at four Privet Drive.

Harry soon took to going to the Burrow far earlier than was necessary, usually soon after nine in the morning, and so ended up spending most of the day at the Burrow even if he had no Occlumency lesson, as Petunia and Vernon didn't care whether or not he was around, as long as he didn't use the fireplace in front of them. Between those long visits and the Occlumency lessons, Harry ended up spending more time around Ginny than he ever had, and by the end of the summer, found himself thinking of her more and more as part of their group.

In the last week of the Occlumency lessons, Dumbledore started taking extra time at the end of the lessons to work with Harry on developing the right state of mind to repel any future attempts by Voldemort to access Harry's mind, or take him over as had happened at the Department of Mysteries. Harry could see how it was related to Occlumency, as Dumbledore had said earlier. He followed Dumbledore's advice, but said little about it during the lessons because of his embarrassment at the presence of the others, who were the natural ones to think of when trying to access the feelings Dumbledore advised him to. Part of him wanted to request privacy for that portion of the lesson, but he couldn't bring himself to ask; he didn't want to seem to be shutting the others out, after they'd supported him by taking lessons they didn't have to, for his sake.

Things at Privet Drive had not changed much since Dumbledore's visit. Vernon and Petunia did not harass Harry, but were still cool and distant. An arrangement had been worked out in which Harry could use the fireplace during certain designated hours. Dudley, to Harry's relief, did not ask further questions about the magical world, but was fairly amiable, and continued to treat Harry as a respected equal.

At the end of the first Occlumency lesson after Draco Malfoy's disciplinary hearing, Harry asked Dumbledore what would happen with Malfoy. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny looked unusually attentive. Looking amused, Dumbledore said, "Normally, the deliberations of the Wizengamot would be a matter of the utmost secrecy, and I would refrain from commenting. However, as Lucius Malfoy still has friends on the court, the deliberations will probably be common knowledge soon enough. I must ask, however, that what I say not go beyond you four." They nodded their assent.

"Mr. Malfoy will not receive the full penalty possible," Dumbledore said as Harry's heart sank. "The court considered several factors, including the fact that it was Mr. Malfoy's first offense, and that there was sufficient ambiguity surrounding the circumstances-that is, why Mr. Malfoy's spells were ineffective if no one was blocking them-to cause many to feel that making an example of Mr. Malfoy was not appropriate. The court does not like to crack down unless the facts are certain."

"A lot of them were ready to crack down on me last year," Harry muttered.

"Some were, but not nearly a majority, as you doubtless recall," pointed out Dumbledore. "This was in spite of considerable pressure from the leadership of the Ministry to do so. As I was saying, on the charges of standard underage magic--the spells used against Mr. Dursley--the court issued Mr. Malfoy a stern warning, assuring him that any further offenses would lead to the breaking of his wand. On the charges of using spells, especially violent spells, against a Muggle-a charge separate from underage magic, as no unauthorized wizard of any age is permitted to use spells against a Muggle-and underage use of Disapparation, the court took slightly harsher action. Mr. Malfoy will not be allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, or apply for an Apparation license, until his eighteenth birthday. In essence, there will be a one-year delay for his assuming the rights and privileges of an adult wizard."

He was interrupted by brief cheers and exclamations of "Yes!" from Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione looked satisfied but said nothing.

"If I may continue..." Dumbledore said tolerantly. "He was also warned that he would do well to avoid any future altercations with you," gesturing at Harry, "or Mr. Dursley, and that if there were any that came to the court's attention, the weight of suspicion would fall heavily on him." He paused. "There was considerable division within the Wizengamot on this matter. Some wanted to let him off with a mild warning; others wanted to, as the Muggles say, throw the book at him. The final decision was essentially a compromise."

"It feels that way," Harry agreed. "It's not as much as he deserves, but it's more than I thought he would get. So, I guess I'm satisfied. By the way, I was wondering... if you hadn't been there, I would have used the Protection Charm on Dudley. If that had happened, do you think I would have suffered consequences?"

Dumbledore considered this. "It is difficult to say. Your past might have counted against you, but they would have been defensive spells only. In addition, as you pointed out to Mr. Malfoy, 'the Boy Who Lived is back in favor at the Ministry,' so there probably would have been no consequences." Harry looked embarrassed. "I assume you said that to Mr. Malfoy in order to shake his confidence, and to goad him into using magic first."

Harry nodded. "I was trying to get him angry. I figured it would make him more likely to make a mistake. It looks like it succeeded, just not in the way that I expected."

"Professor, I have a question," said Hermione. Dumbledore gestured at her to go ahead. "It seems like a strange coincidence that you happened to be the one following Harry at that time, especially since he was just going from Arabella Figg's home to the Dursleys'. It isn't just a coincidence, is it?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "I am not surprised that you should be the one to make that connection, Hermione. At times, you remind me rather strongly of a young Minerva McGonagall. She also had a very sharp mind at an early age."

Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Professor. That's quite a compliment."

"To answer your question, no. There was... intelligence to suggest that the event was about to occur. Given the likelihood that Harry could be forced to use magic to defend himself, I decided to observe the situation personally."

Harry would have loved to know the nature of this intelligence, but knew better than to ask. He recalled, though, that the last person he saw in Dumbledore's presence before he left Hogwarts was Professor Snape. He smiled inside as he pictured Malfoy's face if he ever discovered that.

Harry woke up late on Sunday morning and went downstairs to find that Vernon and Petunia were already gone. Dudley was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his favorite sugared cereal. Harry asked where they had gone.

"Dad's golfing, and Mum's out shopping with her friends. They said they wouldn't be back until seven or so, and they'll get takeaway for dinner. So at least I can eat as much of this as I want without Mum sniping at me." He grinned. "So, what're you up to today?"

"I'm going over to the Weasleys' at about two, and from there we're going to Diagon Alley. That's kind of like downtown London for wizards," Harry explained. "All the shops are there. Have to buy books and supplies and stuff for the next term. Every year, we meet Hermione there and make a day of it."

"What kind of shops do they have there?"

"Some of them are the usual kind, like there are bars, restaurants, an ice cream parlor, and a pet shop," Harry explained. "And then there are some you wouldn't find in London, like the wand shop, the magical antiques shop, the Quidditch supplies shop, and Fred and George's new joke shop... which reminds me, I'm going to pick up the Skiving Snackbox for you, but there's something I need to tell you about first."

"What's that?" asked Dudley between mouthfuls of cereal.

"Actually, if there's enough of that left, I wouldn't mind some, too," said Harry. Dudley shook the box, determined that there was enough, and gestured for Harry to help himself. Harry got out a bowl and a spoon, and sat down at the table.

"Thanks," he said as he poured the cereal. "About the Snackbox... Professor Dumbledore told me the other day that he put another spell on them when he made sure that your magic sensor wouldn't go off. It's kind of a precaution, since this is against wizarding law and everything."

Dudley nodded in acknowledgment. "And...?"

"It's going to sound a little odd, but he put a Forgetfulness Charm on the box. What that means is, the owner of the box may not forget he has them, but as soon as he thinks of giving them to anyone else, he'll develop a temporary loss of memory. He won't remember he has them, and it'll be like... you know how you sometimes get up to do something, and then forget what you were going to do? It's like that. You'll forget what you were going to do."

"What's the point of that?" Dudley asked.

"In this case, it's extra protection to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands," Harry explained. "He was concerned that you might try to share them with friends, so you could skive off together. The friend might use them incorrectly, and the symptoms could become severe, and so on. He wants to make sure only you use them. So if you get inclined to share them, you'll forget what you were thinking about, and you won't do it."

Dudley rolled his eyes. "That seems like a bit much trouble to go to... he could've just asked me."

Harry finished chewing a mouthful of cereal. "Yeah, but he knows that people our age don't always do what's prudent. He just wanted to be safe."

"So why did you have to tell me? I would just forget if I tried, so I didn't really need to know, right?

"Once you have them, yes, that's true," Harry agreed. "But the charm will cause a problem with me getting them to you. See, the charm won't only work on you; it'll work on me, and anyone else. When I get to the shop, Fred and George may not remember that they have the box set aside. I'll tell them where it is, and they'll give it to me. I'll take it home, but if I think about giving it to you, I'll forget to do so."

Dudley looked confused. "So, how am I going to get the box?"

"You'll have to ask me for it," Harry said. "Then I'll remember, though for how long, I can't say. You may have to ask me more than once. I'm telling you this so you'll know I'm not being deliberately stupid, when it happens."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," said Dudley, grinning. "But won't I forget to ask you for it?"

"No, it only applies to the current owner of the box. But once you get it, if you wanted to mention something about it to me, you might forget. I'm not certain if you'll forget only if trying to give it away, or just if trying to mention it. I haven't really used this charm much before."

"Is anything in your world simple?" Dudley wondered. Harry chuckled.

"Seems not, sometimes. In my first year there, I was getting big surprises every other week. The biggest one, of course, was not knowing I was famous. It took a long time to get used to having everyone recognize me because of the scar, and having these big reactions, like they were meeting the Pope or something. Very weird."

"But not everyone likes you, though. What'd Malfoy do to tick you off?"

"It was his natural charm, which you saw personally a few weeks ago." They both chuckled. "Actually, he was being friendly at first, but it was clear that to be his friend, you had to agree with what he thought." He explained how Malfoy felt about pure-blood wizards and Muggles, but again emphasized that it was a minority view in the magical world. "So he's insulting Ron up one side and down the other because they're a bit on the poor side, and they're known for their fondness for Muggles. I'd spent time with Ron on the train, and I could tell he was a good guy. So I basically told Malfoy where to go. Been a dependable enemy ever since."

"Those two always with him?"

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing, I almost never see him without them. One of the few times I did, I thought of saying, 'Hey, where's Moe and Curly?'" Dudley snickered. "Unfortunately, I realized I couldn't, because he knows nothing about the Muggle world. In fact, for him it's a point of pride that he knows nothing about the Muggle world. No point in insulting someone if they don't know they're being insulted."

"Yeah, I see your point," said Dudley, as he poured another bowl of cereal. "What's his problem with Muggles, anyway? Did some beat him as a child or something?"

"No, but he was raised to think that way. Some wizards just take it for granted that they're better than Muggles; that's the crowd that tends to support Voldemort. I don't even know why they think that. Of course, they think they're better than other wizards, especially those who have Muggle blood. Like, Hermione is Muggle-born, both of her parents are dentists. He's always saying the most foul things about her. And they think they're better than pure-blood wizards who aren't rich, like the Weasleys. So, they think they're better than pretty much everybody. I guess some people like to think they're better than everyone else."

"Well, you do see that a lot," agreed Dudley. "Thing is, it always seems like Mum and Dad think they're better than wizards." Harry noticed that Dudley was giving him a strange look, as if unusually curious to see how Harry reacted to this.

Harry thought about it. "It does seem that way, but I'm not sure they really believe it. I mean, I do think they don't like it; they don't much like anything that doesn't fit their definition of normal. Look at how they reacted to your magic sensor."

Dudley smiled. "Dumbledore was right, my friends really like it. Only problem is, they kept on asking me where I got it. Couldn't very well tell them."

"What did you end up telling them, then?" Harry asked curiously.

"Said I got it from a street vendor in London, so they can't go looking for it."

"Good idea," Harry said. "Anyway, what I think is that they're very scared of the wizarding world, going back to my mum being killed. I think I only realized it in the past month, after the thing with Malfoy, but it makes sense. You remember that when I was a kid, even before I went to Hogwarts, your parents, especially your mum, would go berserk at anything that happened that couldn't easily be explained. They knew what it meant, even if I didn't, and I think it really scared them. So I don't think it's really like what Malfoy and his type think."

"Yeah, but it isn't only wizards that Dad disapproves of," Dudley pointed out. "He doesn't like immigrants, people on the dole, men with long hair, women executives... I'm sure there's a few others. He thinks he's better than them."

"Obviously, I don't agree with a lot of what your father thinks, but it's still different, I think. If the immigrants would go back to their home country, if people on the dole would get a job, if men with long hair got it cut, if women executives stayed home and became housewives, if wizards stopped using magic, he would approve of them. There is no one who your father would disapprove of if they did exactly what he thought they should do."

"Then who would he complain about?" wondered Dudley jokingly.

"Dunno, maybe he'd be happier. Anyway, I think you see what I mean. But the people Malfoy disapproves of, most of them couldn't change to get his approval if they wanted to. Muggles can't become wizards, mixed-blood wizards can't become pure-blood, poor can't become rich. He dislikes them for things they can't help, so I think it's pretty different from your father."

"Didn't think I'd ever see you defending him," said Dudley.

"Let's just say I think I understand him a bit better, and most of all, I can sympathize with your parents being extra careful to see that you don't get killed."

"So, how did you start getting into trouble at your school, anyway? Tell me about all that stuff that's happened to you."

Harry looked at the clock. "Well, I can't tell you all of it, since I have to go in two and a half hours," he half-joked. "But I'll get started, anyway."

He launched into the story, starting at the beginning with the events of the first year. Dudley interrupted once in a while to ask questions. As 2:00 approached, Harry was finishing up his account of the third year.

"...so Hermione and I are in our beds, and as far as anybody knows, we've been there since we were brought in unconscious. They all come in, Snape is screaming that I must have helped Sirius escape. 'Out with it, Potter, what did you do?'" Harry smiled. "Funny thing is, he was right, he just couldn't explain why or how. So now Fudge thinks Snape's losing it, and they all leave. On the way home on the train, I got an owl from Sirius, telling me he was safe. So, he didn't end up being cleared like he should have been, but at least he was free."

"But the other guy, the one who was the rat, did he find his way back to Voldemort?" asked Dudley.

"I'm afraid that'll have to come under the heading of 'to be continued,'" Harry said. "I've got to get going in a few minutes."

"Okay, but you should have let Lupin and Sirius kill Pettigrew. He deserved it."

"I agree that he deserved it. But there's just something about cold-blooded murder that I can't bring myself to accept. I couldn't have it done in my name."

"But suppose," asked Dudley, "that sometime in the future you've got Voldemort dead to rights. For whatever reason, you can't capture him; your two choices are, kill him, or he gets away. Would you kill him then?"

The question chilled Harry, for reasons Dudley could not know; the prophecy's words strongly suggested that Harry might well be faced with that very choice someday. He answered as honestly as he could.

"I should kill him. I know that, here," he said, pointing to his head. "I just don't know if I can get myself to do it. I suppose I'll find out if the time ever comes."

Harry got up and walked to the fireplace, Dudley following. Dudley said, "Have a good day. And thanks for telling me all that. I'd like to hear the rest sometime."

"No problem."

"Oh, and don't forget the Snackbox." Dudley was smiling at his own joke.

Harry laughed. "I'll get it, but after that, you'll have to not forget for me. Bye."

Dudley said "Later," as Harry shouted "The Burrow!" and stepped into the fire.

Harry walked out of the Burrow's fireplace and was met by the whole group: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. They all greeted him with variations on 'Hello, Harry,' except for Mrs. Weasley, who said, "Hello, Professor," and rubbed his head in greeting. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to call him that every time you see him, Mum? Can't you see it embarrasses him?"

Mrs. Weasley's tone suggested that that was the most absurd notion she'd ever heard. "Does that embarrass you, Harry, dear?"

Harry smiled. "Well, a bit, yeah," he admitted. "But I know that's not why you're doing it," he hastily added.

"You know we're all proud of you, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. Ginny and Hermione ostentatiously agreed.

"Yes, we know that, Mum's mentioned it to him a dozen times or so," said Ron.

"Well, I'll stop doing it if Harry asks me to," sniffed Mrs. Weasley.

Harry turned to her. "Mrs. Weasley, didn't you say once that you considered me like part of the family?"

"Of course, Harry, dear! You know that!" She looked concerned at the thought that he even needed to ask that it be confirmed.

"Well," said Harry, deadpan, "it seems to me that if I were a member of the family, you'd just say, 'I'll tell him as many times as I like, and I don't care if it embarrasses him.'"

Hermione and the Weasleys burst out laughing, even Mrs. Weasley. Ginny said, "Well, it's obvious that he's spent enough time here to know how things work."

Everyone was ready, and one by one they stepped into the fireplace, shouting "Diagon Alley!"

They made sure everyone was accounted for before setting out. After a stop at Gringotts to pick up some gold, Mrs. Weasley suggested that they go to Flourish & Blotts to get the year's books before doing anything else. Harry had brought his booklist, but it was going to be very easy. Sixth and seventh years only needed one book for each class, and it was always the same one. The title was, 'The Standard N.E.W.T. Guide to..." followed by the course name. He would only need five books, Ron eight, and Hermione, ten.

"How did you decide which books we were going to use, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I didn't, really," he answered. "I asked Dumbledore and McGonagall to choose the books for me. They're really only for reference, anyway. Dumbledore advised me not to teach from the book. For the fifth years, I may teach somewhat with O.W.L.s in mind, but in general, I'm going to try to teach people what they need to know to survive a dangerous situation."

"Good idea, Harry," said Ron, smiling. "Stick with your expertise."

Harry smiled back, but Mrs. Weasley gave Ron a that's-not-funny look.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione purchased their books and waited for Ginny, whose books weren't so easy to find, having different titles. After she finished, Mrs. Weasley asked everyone to bind up their books and give them to her.

"Hey, let's go to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," suggested Harry. "I've really been looking forward to seeing their place."

"You go on ahead, dears," said Mrs. Weasley. "Arthur and I are going to try out that new restaurant at the end of the street. We'll find you when we're done." The Weasleys said goodbye and walked in the other direction.

Harry looked at the others in puzzlement. "Was that because they're hungry, or do they not want to see the shop?"

"They've seen the shop already," Ginny explained, "and according to Fred and George, Mum can't manage to say anything nice about it. I think Mum doesn't want to risk a row with all of us there."

"That's too bad," said Harry. "I'm still glad I gave them the money, though. So, where is it exactly?" Ron and Ginny had been there before, and led the way.

"Are they still doing well?" Hermione asked. "Those were pretty wild dragon hide jackets they were wearing at King's Cross in June."

"Yeah, still doing well, especially since then-as school's out, there are more young customers," said Ron. "And Mum wasn't especially impressed with the jackets, either."

Harry shook his head in wonder. Why couldn't Mrs. Weasley, normally a kind person, be happy that her sons were doing what they were happy doing, and making quite a good living at it as well?

As they entered the shop, Harry saw some items in the front window that he'd seen at Hogwarts, and a couple of posters which advertised products, except that the people and things in these posters moved, of course. One poster repeatedly showed a student taking a Nosebleed Nougat, being excused from class, and relaxing outside in the sunshine under a tree. The other, larger poster displayed images of the Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs, the fireworks that Fred and George had used to such great effect on Dolores Umbridge's first day of her short reign as Hogwarts' Headmistress.

Fred was behind the counter, and his face lit up when he saw the four of them. "Hey, George, get out here," he shouted. To them, he said, "Thought we'd be seeing you around this time. So, Harry, Hermione, what do you think?"

"It's brilliant," said Harry. He was looking around in wonder at all the products. He recognized a few of them from having seen them at Hogwarts, but there were many he had never seen. "How did you get so many products going so quickly? I had no idea you were doing this much."

"Well, what did you think we were doing at Hogwarts, studying?" asked George cheerfully as he walked in from the back room. "No indeed, we were hard at work, just not the sort of work the school expects or appreciates. No school-sponsored outlets for our creative energy existed."

"True genius is often not recognized," agreed Harry. He was joking, but he felt there was some truth to it as well.

"Exactly! See, he understands," enthused Fred. "But Harry recognized it, though. After all, it is only because of dear Harry's mental instability-"

"You mean, generosity," George corrected him.

"-yes, generosity, thank you-that we are able to have this shop at all. We salute you, Harry, as do the thousands of youngsters that we dearly hope our products will get into a lot of trouble."

"And you two were the first of those youngsters, from what I hear," observed Hermione. Fred and George's faces formed into almost identical what-can-you-do expressions.

"Mum'll come around," said George, "it's just taking her a bit longer to get used to it than we thought it would. That's one reason to move out-the less she sees of us, the more she'll miss us, which would be a good thing right now."

"Anyway, I have to agree with Harry, it's very impressive," said Hermione, picking up a quill. "I've never seen this before. It's called an Invisi-Quill?" she asked, reading the label. "What does it do, write in invisible ink?"

"Ah, nothing so simple, dear girl," assured Fred, as she frowned at him for 'dear girl.' "No, this is one of our most diabolical goodies. It bewitches the paper, not the ink. You start to write, and the ink disappears exactly one minute after it hits the paper. The unfortunate victim will think it's a problem with the quill, and put it aside, but the same thing will continue to happen as long as the same paper or parchment is used. Really quite nasty."

"We're debating a disclaimer suggesting it not be used on people with heart conditions," said George.

"Yes, well, the problem is that once you start with disclaimers, there's no end to it," pointed out Fred. "Should we put disclaimers on our fake wands, saying 'Do not use this to cast or block spells?' It's a bad precedent. No, we must rely on the intelligence and maturity of our customers."

"Many of whom will be children," Hermione pointed out.

"Exactly," agreed Fred. "So they won't bother to read disclaimers anyway."

Hermione opened her mouth, then paused, seemingly debating how to respond. Harry chuckled. "These are really nice wrappers on the products. Did you do all these as well?"

"No, our art is confined to humor and mayhem. Lee did all of the packaging; you recall he's quite good with a pen," said George. "We've been giving him steady work all summer; he'll be starting his new job soon, and we still have new product lines to roll out."

"Even more? My, you have been busy little beavers," said Hermione, impressed.

"Well, really, we got in a lot of relaxing at Hogwarts," said Fred. "Now we're doing exactly what we want to do, so who needs to relax? I mean, Hermione, it would be like if somebody paid you to study every day. Wouldn't you think that was the best job in the world?"

Ron laughed out loud; Harry and Ginny successfully muffled their giggles. "See, I try to compliment you, and this is what I get," said Hermione, affecting a put-upon manner.

"Sorry, Hermione, but that's not going to work. We've gotten that from Mum for so long, we're immune to it," said George.

Deciding he'd better do it now before he forgot, Harry said, "Professor Dumbledore was in here a few weeks ago, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was," said George.

"It was an honor," agreed Fred. "He was very complimentary. Said something about how we'd found our true calling. He bought a few things, as well, which was even more complimentary. He said they were Christmas presents."

"I wonder who Dumbledore gives Christmas presents to," said George. "Must be a very select group."

"He had you set something aside," Harry said. "It was for me. Could you get it for me?"

"Set something aside? Was that you, Fred?"

"No, I think I'd remember that," said Fred. "Are you sure you're not confused, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "No, I think you two are the ones who are confused. Tell you what, go look in whatever place you would put something if you were going to set it aside."

The twins exchanged 'is he crazy?' looks, then George went to a specific desk drawer and opened it. He pulled out a Skiving Snackbox. "Fred, did you put this here?"

"No, must've been you," replied Fred.

"No, I'm sure I didn't," said George. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all started laughing; all had been present when Dumbledore told Harry about the Forgetfulness Charm. "What's so funny?"

"No way to tell which one of you it was, or maybe it was both," Harry explained. "Dumbledore put a Forgetfulness Charm on the box and asked you to set it aside. It was for me."

"Why the charm, then? Why didn't you just ask us to send it to you?" asked Fred.

Harry spent about ten minutes explaining the situation with Dudley and Dumbledore. Fred and George listened raptly as Ginny, Hermione, and Ron browsed the shop and talked. Finally, both shook their heads.

"I don't know whether to be more surprised at Dudley wanting the box, or Dumbledore letting him have it," said George.

"He's going to assist in the breaking of wizarding law so that a Muggle can skive off his classes. A truly great man, Albus Dumbledore," said Fred, as George nodded solemnly.

"Let's get you a bag for that, Harry," offered George.

As George looked around for a bag, Harry asked Fred, "So, how much do I owe you?" Fred and George burst out laughing, in such a way as to make Harry think he must have said something totally absurd. "What?" he asked them.

"Harry, my lad," said Fred, "if you think for a moment that we will allow you to pay for any merchandise from our shop, then you are even more crazy than you were when you gave us the gold in the first place."

"Absolutely out of the question," agreed George. "Not even open for discussion."

"But we'll forgive your little faux pas, because that's the kind of people we are," said Fred proudly.

Harry smiled. "I suppose I deserved that, for threatening to hex you back then."

"Harry, I don't think you quite understand what you've done here," said George. "If not for you, there would not be this lovely shop in Diagon Alley. We'd be at the Burrow, with little prospect of leaving anytime soon, trying to do an owl-order business, with many fewer products than you see here, and with Mum making frequent comments about our inappropriate career choice. You've changed all of that."

"Well, except for Mum," allowed Fred. "Not much he can do about her. She's a force of nature."

"Maybe I should try a bit harder," said Harry, as the other three wandered over to join them. "I am rather on her good side now, after all."

"You're always on her good side, Harry," pointed out George. "Why now more than any other time?"

Harry looked questioningly at Ron and Ginny. "They don't know?"

Ginny shook her head. "We knew you'd be coming here before school started, and we wanted you to be the one to tell them."

Harry thanked her and Ron, and turned to the twins. "I feel like giving you hints and making you guess, but that wouldn't be fair, since this is so unusual. Dumbledore asked me to be this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was ten or fifteen seconds of silence and astonished looks. Finally Fred, wearing a concerned expression, said, "Harry, I wish you would reconsider this. I mean, we've really become fond of you, and we hate to see you do this to yourself. You're so young, you still have so much to live for."

George added, "Don't do it, Harry. Don't take this kind of risk on a reckless whim." He shook his head somberly. "You always have been too ready to confront danger. Now look what's happened."

Ron was chuckling, but Hermione and Ginny did not look pleased at all. "All right, you two, that's enough," said Hermione.

"Where have we heard that phrase before," muttered Fred.

"Can you imagine what Mum would have done if one of her natural-born children had managed to become a Hogwarts teacher at the age of sixteen?" wondered George aloud. "Words fail me."

"You should have seen her when Harry told her," Ron said. "Her voice got so high it was a squeak, and she wouldn't let go of Harry for, like, two minutes or so. If she had a heart condition, I'd have been worried. Even now, she still calls him 'Professor' all the time, and you can tell she's still incredibly proud of him."

"I reckon this is because of what you did with the D.A., Harry?" asked Fred.

Harry nodded, and told them about the D.A. members' O.W.L. results. Fred whistled appreciatively. "Yeah, I can see how that would impress people. You can do it, of course. You just have to be confident."

"And don't take anything off the Slytherins," George added. "Crack down on them if they give you a hard time."

"I've already told him," Ginny assured them. "He'll be fine, and he'll break that jinx. You'll see."

"We do hope our little sister is right," Fred said. "Now, Ron and Hermione, you have to be respectful of the teacher. Don't want him giving you any detentions."

"Harry's only teaching first through fifth years," Ron explained. "Dumbledore's going to teach the N.E.W.T. classes."

Fred and George exchanged amazed looks. "You know," said Fred, "I think I'm suddenly developing a whole new appreciation for the value of N.E.W.T. classes."

"Quite so," agreed George. "It does seem as though we left the place one year too early."

"No, I think you two left at just the right time," said Harry. "If you hadn't been ready to leave anyway, you couldn't have caused all that mayhem at the end of last year, and it was very important to school morale, even Hermione thinks so. I told them that I think you ought to be given Special Awards for Services to the School."

Fred and George looked uncharacteristically modest. "Thanks, Harry," said George. "but what would we do with that? I mean, except for the fact that it would annoy Percy that we got one and he never did, what good would it do?"

"Well, there's also the fact that your escape is now Hogwarts legend," Harry pointed out. "That's got to mean a fair bit of extra business for the shop."

"That's true," agreed Fred. "We have gotten a lot of business over the summer from Hogwarts students, and they often mention our little rebellion. So that worked out well. Still, it would have been great to take classes from Dumbledore."

"Yeah, we're really looking forward to it," said Ron.

"We should really be moving on," suggested Ginny. They had been at the Weasley' shop for over a half hour.

"I suppose so," agreed Ron.

"I really am glad to see you two doing so well," said Hermione to Fred and George. "It was good to see you again, and I'll be sure to pop in whenever I'm in Diagon Alley."

"See that you do," urged Fred. "And Harry, congratulations. Not that I envy what you'll be doing, but better than the prestige or the job itself is the fact that it means that Dumbledore has a lot of confidence in you. That's the reason to be proud."

"I can't argue with you there," Harry said. "And thanks for this," holding up the bag with the Snackbox in it.

George scoffed. "It's very little. Seriously, Harry, anytime, whether you want a fake wand or a Deflagration Deluxe, just tell us, and it'll be yours on the next owl. Now you all have a good day."

"And a good term," added Fred. "Remember, Harry, no mercy for the Slytherins."

"I'll be reminding him of that, too" said Ginny. "Bye!"

They said their goodbyes and left the shop. Ron suggested they head over to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, and the others agreed. As they approached the parlor, at one of the outdoor tables, they saw Neville and his grandmother. Both stood up as they saw Harry and the others heading their way.

"Neville! It's good to see you again," said Ginny.

"Hi, everyone," said Neville cheerfully. "C'mere, pull another table over next to this one and sit down." They did so

Mrs. Longbottom looked like her usual no-nonsense self. "I'm pleased to see you all again," she said, politely. "Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Professor Potter." The others smiled at Harry's expense, knowing he would be embarrassed. To Harry, she said, "Would you step over here for a moment, please? I would like to have a private word with you. Unless you would like to order first."

Harry wanted to look at Neville to see whether he had any idea of what this was about, but he didn't, as he didn't want Mrs. Longbottom to see him doing so. He told Hermione what he wanted, and she took the others' ice cream orders and went to the counter. Harry walked off with Mrs. Longbottom. When they were far enough away not to be overheard, she regarded him sternly, but with respect.

"First of all, Professor, I wish to congratulate you on your new position. I daresay you will improve on your predecessors' performances."

Harry fought back the urge to say 'it would be hard not to,' feeling that Mrs. Longbottom may not appreciate humor right then. He settled for saying, "Thank you, but I'm still not used to being called 'Professor.'"

"Well, you had better get used to it. It will happen a lot more, very soon. Now, there are two things I wish to ask you about. Firstly, I would like to know to what you attribute the change in Neville over the past year. You see a great deal of him, so perhaps you have some idea."

Harry considered the question. He had noticed that Neville's focus and effort in D.A. sessions had increased dramatically right after the dementors joined Voldemort, meaning that those who had tortured Neville's parents into insanity were free. He had assumed that Neville felt a greater need to be able to protect himself, or even a desire for revenge, but he didn't want to say any such thing to Neville's grandmother. He didn't know for sure, and it was very personal in any case; Neville hadn't discussed it with him, or anyone else that he knew of. He decided to give the answer he thought he would give if there had been no escape from Azkaban.

"You know, I've wondered about that myself. It's hard to say for sure. The first time I noticed any change was when Malfoy insulted me one day, acting like I was unbalanced and should be sent to St. Mungo's, and said something nasty about the kind of people in St. Mungo's. Neville just lost his temper and went straight for Malfoy. I had to hold him back so he wouldn't get clobbered by Malfoy's minions, then he was angry at me for holding him back. Anyway, I'd never seen him do anything like that before that day.

"Apart from that, being in the D.A. must have helped him; it gave him a focus for his energy. He started working really hard, harder than anyone else in the group. I was amazed at how fast he improved. As his skill increased, so did his confidence. But other than that, I can't say I know what did it."

Mrs. Longbottom nodded. "I understand. Here is my second question: Why did you give Neville the information you did about the prophecy?"

Harry had suspected this might come up. "I didn't tell him deliberately or specifically; I was talking to all my friends, and he was there. Also, I thought he deserved to know. I would have wanted to know if it was me. Do you think I shouldn't have told him?"

She glanced down, and for the first time he saw a small amount of uncertainty and vulnerability in her eyes. "No, that is not what I think. This has been very distressing for Neville, and I wished to understand your motivations. The fact is, when his parents were attacked, Neville was with me, but I did not know about the prophecy or that Neville or his parents might be in any unusual danger. I cannot say whether Frank and Alice knew of the prophecy, or whether that is what they lost their sanity protecting. It is easy to see why you and the others suspect that this is so. Part of me wishes that Neville had never discovered this. But, as you say, he has a right to know." She paused. "Very well, Professor. Thank you for your time." She headed back to the others, leaving Harry to follow.

They went back to the table, where Ron was urging Neville to visit Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. "...and almost everything there was invented by them personally, so it's not stuff you could get at Zonko's, or anywhere else." Neville said he would be sure to go there, as Mrs. Longbottom suggested to Neville that they move along. Looking a bit disappointed, Neville said goodbye and said he would see them on the Hogwarts Express.

"Why doesn't he resist her more? I mean, he meekly goes along with anything she wants," Ron said. To Ginny, he continued, "I mean, you and I, everyone except Percy, really, we give Mum a good run for her money. Why doesn't he?"

"It's hard to say, Ron," said Hermione. "But you've seen what she's like. She acts as though doing what she says is only common sense, and you're a moron if you don't. But I do agree that that wouldn't stop many children from rebelling. We're all different, I guess."

"I have to wonder what it would be like for Neville if he had been able to grow up with his parents," said Harry. "I sometimes wonder what that would be like for myself. Would I be a different person? If so, how? I guess you can never know, but it's hard not to wonder."

They looked at him sympathetically. "No, we can't know. I guess we're just stuck with what we've got," said Ginny. "It's not fair, though. For you or Neville."

"As my aunt and uncle have said many times, and I assume almost all parents have said to their children..." The rest joined him in saying it: "Life isn't fair."

Harry entered the four Privet Drive fireplace at about 6:30. Dudley was on the sofa, watching TV. "Hey, Harry," he said. "Have a good time?"

Harry found he was still not quite used to Dudley being so amiable with him. "Yeah, pretty good. Got my schoolbooks and supplies."

"Did you get the Skiving Snackbox? I was hoping to get it from you before Mum and Dad get home."

"Snackbox? Oh, yeah, that was pretty funny. Fred and George didn't remember that they had it. Almost started arguing over who forgot about it. I had to tell them about Dumbledore's spell; they didn't know he had done it." He paused, remembering. "Well, I'd better get this up to my room."

Dudley rolled his eyes. "Okay, but could you give me the Snackbox first?"

Harry blinked. "Of course, sorry. Yeah, that was a strong spell Dumbledore put on it. I hope I can be half as strong as he is someday." He looked down at Dudley, who was looking up at him expectantly. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Dudley snickered. "Well, you did warn me that this would happen," he allowed. "Tell you what, why don't I come up to your room with you? I'd like to see what you got."

"Okay, sure," said Harry, wondering why Dudley was so interested. After all, it was only his N.E.W.T. books and a few other things. They went up to Harry's room and sat down on his bed.

"So, what have you got?" Dudley asked.

"Mostly books for my N.E.W.T. classes," Harry said, showing Dudley the books and explaining about O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. "I'm taking the classes needed to train to be an Auror-Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfigurations, and I'm also taking Care of Magical Creatures, which isn't strictly necessary, but I like it."

Dudley thumbed through the books. "Get anything else?"

"Just some quills and parchment, and..." He pulled out the Snackbox.

"So, is that ringing any bells?" Dudley smiled.

"I was going to... to give you this, right?" Dudley nodded as Harry handed the box over.

"Wow... that was even harder than you said it was going to be," said Dudley. "Now that you don't have the box anymore, are you starting to remember?"

"Yeah, I remember everything now. I don't know if it's just because it's Dumbledore, but that's a powerful spell. I guess that's a pretty good demonstration why not to give them to anybody-if you try, you'll just end up looking stupid."

"Yeah, I'm pretty convinced," said Dudley. "You knew that was going to happen, but it still worked just the same. He wasn't kidding with that spell."

"Fred and George were amazed that he was going to let you have it at all," said Harry. "What did they say exactly... 'He's going to assist in the breaking of wizarding law so that a Muggle can skive off his classes. A truly great man, Albus Dumbledore.'"

Dudley laughed. "What else did you talk to them about?"

"Oh, they gave me a hard time about being a teacher," Harry said. He related their teasing about the jinx on the position. "I told them what happened with you and Malfoy... just catching up on news."

"That reminds me, whatever happened to him?" Dudley asked. "Did he get himself in big trouble?"

Harry explained what the result was. "So, that's pretty good," he concluded. "He'll be very angry, that's for sure. And, really, that's the important thing." They both grinned.

"Is it really that bad? It doesn't sound like much."

"Look at it this way. Would you think it was a big deal if you had to wait a whole year to drive?" Dudley nodded vigorously. "Well, that's what it's like. Apparating is like driving-the freedom to go anywhere you want. Every wizard looks forward to it, like every Muggle looks forward to driving. Trust me, it's a big deal."

"Excellent," Dudley said, now smiling evilly. "Better not tell Mum, though."

"I agree," Harry said. " No need for her to think about Malfoy sitting around with nothing to do but plot revenge."

Just then, the family car drove into the driveway. "Ah, good, they're home," said Dudley. "They'll have takeaway. I'm hungry, just been eating junk all day."

"Me too," said Harry. He'd just had cake and ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. "If you want to come up here after dinner, I'll continue the story from this morning."

Dudley nodded, and they went downstairs.

The following Friday was the day Harry had to leave for Hogwarts. Normally he would take the Hogwarts Express on Sunday, but as a teacher, he had to receive orientation and attend pre-term meetings. He had spent a lot of August thinking about how he was going to teach his lessons-heavy on practice so he wouldn't have to give lectures, which he didn't think he could do-and so wasn't sure he could do much more. The book Hermione gave him had year-by-year charts of what spells and basic information the students should have. He used that as a rough guide, but he hoped to sit down with Dumbledore before the term started, show him the charts and what he planned to do, and ask for guidance.

Harry felt he had done what he could to prepare for going to Hogwarts as a teacher. Still, it was with some trepidation that he got ready to depart on Friday morning. He was double-checking his trunk to make sure it had everything when the phone rang, and he heard Dudley's yell. "Harry! It's Hermione!" Harry ran downstairs. As he walked into the kitchen, Dudley was saying, "Yeah, I hope so... no problem... okay, here he is." He handed the phone to Harry.

"Hermione, how are you doing?"

"Good, I just wanted to say goodbye before you left. Ron did too, but of course he doesn't have a phone, so he just told me in the fireplace to tell you to not worry, you'll do fine. That's what I say, too, of course."

"I know, thanks. I'm sorry I'll have to miss you on the Hogwarts Express. It'll seem strange not doing that this year. Of course, you and Ron will be together in the prefects' car."

"With Malfoy, ugh, I can hardly wait..."

"Don't talk to him, and if he says anything, just ignore him. Talk to Ernie and Hannah. Find out how they feel about the Astronomy thing."

"I'd rather not do that in front of Malfoy, you know what he'll do..."

"Yeah, start a campaign to undermine you. I forgot. Well, there's other things. Talk about the D.A., Malfoy'll love that. If you want, you can tell him about me being a teacher. I mean, I was looking forward to seeing his face at the feast, but if he's really making you crazy, you can go ahead and do it."

"Thanks, Harry. I appreciate it, but I'm not going to. You haven't thought this through. It would be fun for a half hour or so, but it takes five hours to get to Hogwarts, as you know, and the prefects can leave their car after the first hour. What's the first thing Malfoy's going to do?"

Harry sighed. "Walk up and down the train, telling every Slytherin and orchestrating boos, hissing, and throwing things when I'm announced at the feast."

"Exactly. No, it has to be a secret. In fact, I'll talk to Ron, Ginny, and Neville today and make sure they know not to tell anyone. We'll just have to be looking for him in the crowd when Dumbledore introduces you."

"That should be a sight to see. Of course, I'll probably be so nervous I'll forget to look. I mean, when I come out the teachers will applaud, they always do, but what about the students? Everyone will be so stunned, I won't even get polite applause."

"Then just go with it, Harry. Make a joke about it. Tell them that was your first reaction too. My advice is, be yourself. Don't try to make some prepared speech. Imagine you're talking to D.A. members. If Slytherins jeer or shout comments, ignore them, or put them down if you can think of a comeback. Just keep cool. Before you come out, do some of the Occlumency exercises."

"That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that," Harry said. "Thanks, you're really a fountain of good advice sometimes."

Hermione chuckled. "If anyone else said that, especially Ron, I'd be sure they were being sarcastic. But I know you mean it, and it's nice of you to say so." She paused. "Of course, you don't think it's so good when it's advice about getting your homework done promptly."

"No, I know that's good advice, too," Harry assured her. "It's just good advice I'm not as likely to take."

"One more bit of advice: don't let Snape push you around. Now, you're a teacher, he's a teacher. If he's rude to you, you can be rude to him-except in Potions, of course. But outside that, if he doesn't treat you with the respect he gives other teachers, call him on it. Dumbledore and McGonagall will support you."

"I hope you're right," Harry said. He talked to her for a few more minutes, then hung up and walked upstairs to his room to make sure that everything was in his trunk. He picked up Hedwig's cage, grabbed the trunk's handle, and headed downstairs.

Dudley was on the sofa watching TV. "Are you going to drag that thing into the fire?" he asked, gesturing at the trunk.

"No, they've given me a minor exception to the underage magic rule; I'm allowed to use magic to make the trunk light, so I can carry it easily." He tapped the trunk with his wand, then lifted it. It weighed less than a schoolbook. "What did Hermione say to you on the phone?"

"She thanked me for helping put Malfoy in his place, and said that maybe this year he won't be strutting around like he owns the place. I said I hope so."

"I hope so too, but I'm not optimistic. I'm not sure he knows any other way to act." Harry put out his hand. "Have a good term," he said.

Dudley shook it. "You, too. Let's see if you can keep the number at ten."

Harry laughed. "I'll do my best." He tossed Floo powder into the fire, shouted "Hogsmeade Owl Office," stepped into it, and disappeared.