'What happened to Dumbledore? What did he do? Where is he?' Harry thought in shock, while a huge commotion broke out in the courtroom.
"Now, since we can't change anything about the situation; shall we go home?" Severus spoke up, and all Hogwarts residents held on to a Portkey that took them home in a blink.
'What did Dumbledore do?' Harry thought to Minerva when they had lunch together with the other teachers in the Great Hall.
Minerva sighed and explained, "Dumbledore is a phoenix Animagus, Harry. He can transform into a phoenix like Fawkes." She paused to allow Harry to absorb what she was telling him. "As you know from Fawkes, a phoenix can flash away, and that's what Dumbledore did today, so that the Aurors couldn't take him to Azkaban."
'So he is still running around free then? Will he come back to get me and take me back to the Dursleys?' Harry thought, horrified of the possibility.
"Don't panic, Harry; I don't think he'll come and try to hurt you," Minerva assured him in a soft voice.
"You can't be sure what he'll be up to though, Minerva," Severus warned his colleague. "He might want to exact his revenge on all of us, because it was our fault that he was denied of his position as headmaster, as professor, and even as Head of the Wizengamot." He paused briefly, choosing his next words carefully. "Moreover he was sentenced to a stay in Azkaban because we arranged for him to be put on trial."
"Harry should never be alone outside," Pomona added worriedly.
"No, but that doesn't make too much sense, as Albus will be able to flash anywhere, even within the castle," Minerva replied in concern.
"Can't we put up a kind of ward that prohibits a phoenix or at least a phoenix Animagus from entering?" Poppy asked, worriedly watching her godson, whose face had turned white during the discussion going on around him.
"We can put up wards that won't allow Albus to enter the castle or even the grounds, but I'm not sure if that will work against his phoenix form as well," Minerva replied, giving Severus a questioning glance.
"Fawkes!" Severus called his familiar and, when the phoenix appeared in a flash of flames, he repeated Minerva's question to the beautiful bird.
#No, you can't prevent a phoenix from flashing anywhere. But if Albus flashes here into the castle, I will know immediately, and I'll go to protect Harry or to prevent Albus from doing whatever he plans to do,# Fawkes promised, sounding sincere.
"Thanks Fawkes, that's very reassuring," Severus replied and translated Fawkes' trills to the others.
Harry could not help staring at the phoenix. 'Why can I understand what he's saying? Only Uncle Severus should be able to understand because he's his familiar,' he wondered.
'Uncle Severus?' he asked hesitantly even in his mind-talking, receiving an enquiring look from his godfather. 'I could understand what Fawkes said to you. Why am I able to understand him?'
'That's because of your Chameguise form. You're able to shape shift into a phoenix as well, and I'd even suggest trying that out as soon as you have managed the prior task ahead,' Severus replied calmly, giving his godson an encouraging nod.
"Minerva, may I suggest that we – I mean the four heads of house – work on the wards right away?" Filius Flitwick spoke up.
Minerva sighed and turned to Poppy. "Poppy, would you mind spending the afternoon with Harry?"
"Of course we can spend the afternoon together, can't we, Harry? I was going to organize my potions shelf in preparation for the new school year, and I could use a good helper very much." She bent down, so that she was eye level to Harry. "Sweetheart, would you be willing to help me with that?"
Harry gave his godmother a small nod and silently followed her up to her office. Over the next three hours, he helped Poppy organizing her shelves, feeling very happy when she thanked him profoundly. 'Aunt Poppy,' he thought to his godmother, hesitantly, 'May I transform into the Chameguise and try to duplicate myself? I tried together with Uncle Severus this morning but I couldn't manage yet.'
Poppy gave him a worried look. "Harry, I'm not sure what problems could occur and how I'd be able to help you if something happened," she replied, seeming reluctant.
Harry sighed. 'This morning, I tried to just duplicate my head and had two heads. I felt very sick and couldn't transform or do anything else because I had two heads thinking different things at the same time. That time Uncle Severus stunned one of my heads, so that I could change back into my human form. So I have to try to duplicate my whole body at the same time, which is very difficult. Therefore, I don't think much would happen if I tried now,' he explained.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but after what happened this morning I think it would be better for you to rest than to try again today. It won't do you any good to deplete your magic and your energy," Poppy said firmly and suggested, "Shall we go flying instead for a while?"
Harry's eyes started to twinkle happily and he let out a small, "Oh, yes please," which sounded like music in Poppy's ears.
"Oh, Harry, it's so nice to hear you talk," she commended her godson approvingly, receiving a small smile in return.
When Poppy and Harry were flying around the Quidditch pitch, Rolanda Hooch joined them and brought a Snitch with her, which she released - to Harry's great pleasure. Even if he was flying on a children's broom that was smaller and a bit slower than the normal brooms that the two women were using, nearly every time he was the first to catch the small, golden ball.
"You're absolutely brilliant!" Rolanda commended Harry after an hour of flying and catching the Snitch. "I bet you'll be playing for your house team for at least six years," she added, grinning broadly.
"Definitely," Poppy agreed before she added, "and put yourself into the hospital wing every other week."
Harry shook his head at his godmother, laughing.
飛ぶのが大好き
In the morning, Harry met Severus in his quarters. As Harry had not yet managed to duplicate himself, they had decided that he might as well practise inside the castle. This time however, Harry transformed into his Chameguise form and managed to duplicate himself immediately. He looked stunned at the second animal that was slowly walking around Severus' living room, thinking, 'I really managed it, although I've no clue how I did that,' before Severus' voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Congratulations, Harry, you've managed to duplicate yourself. Now, I suggest you shift back into your human form and tell Tom to come to Hogwarts and meet us behind Hagrid's hut."
'Okay,' Harry thought to the teacher and changed back into his human form. 'Tom, can you hear me? Can you come to Hogwarts behind Hagrid's hut now immediately? Come quickly, I can help you,' he thought excitedly.
'Hey Harry, calm down,' Tom replied immediately. 'I'm in the Forbidden Forest anyway, so I can be there in two minutes.'
'Ah all right, I think it will take us about ten minutes, so wait for us behind Hagrid's hut,' Harry repeated before he turned to Severus, telling him excitedly, "He's already waiting for us, let's go." He was so excited that he didn't even notice that he spoke aloud.
Severus scooped the second Chameguise into his arms and carried it, and they walked up to the Entrance hall and left through the castle's main door. When they arrived behind Hagrid's hut, Severus placed the animal onto the ground, and Harry called Tom, 'Tom, where are you? We're here, and we brought a Chameguise, which is a second version of myself. So if you wish to take his body, you can do it now.'
'Thanks a lot, Harry,' Tom replied, and for an instant Severus and Harry saw a white mist hover above the Chameguise. They watched in awe as the mist vanished and suddenly the Chameguise shifted into a second version of Harry. A minute later, the second Harry shifted his form again, and a man stood in front of Severus and Harry.
"Hello Harry, hello Severus," he said friendly. "Thank you very much for giving me a new life."
"You seem very young," Severus said smirking.
Tom chuckled. "As I was able to choose, I chose to be twenty again. Do you think it's strange?"
"No, of course not. I hope you'll use your second chance for a life wisely."
"I'll definitely do that," Tom promised, seemingly honest. "Now please excuse me, I'd like to retire to Riddle Manor for a few days to get used to having a body again and to get used to my new abilities. Harry, you know how to contact me if you need me, right?"
Harry gave the man an anxious nod. "May I?" he asked then before he continued his thought, 'May I still mind talk to you?'
"Of course you may, Harry, we're still friends and always will be, right?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"Tom, I have talked with most of the Hogwarts teachers about you, and I believe that it would be wise if you came to visit us once; it would help you a lot to have the support of Professor McGonagall and the other teachers. In return for their support, you could offer to release the curse from the Defence Against the Dark Arts position," Severus suggested.
"Oh Severus, yes, I will do that. I'll contact you or Harry next week," Tom promised and started walking down to Hogsmeade to apparate away.
トムは本当に良い人間になったのでしょう
Three days later was the first of September, and not only did the students come back to Hogwarts, but Harry also had his first lesson that day with his Uncle Moony. Remus arrived shortly after Minerva and Harry returned from breakfast in the Great Hall. Although the students would not return to the castle until that evening, Minerva was glad to have Harry occupied, as she still had to cover the position of the headmistress, until an adequate successor for Dumbledore could be found, and so she was extremely busy with staff meetings and other preparations.
Remus made Harry sit at the table in the sitting room and took the seat opposite of the child. He told him that the first thing he was going to teach Harry would be Math, Writing, and Reading. As soon as Harry managed to write, which he was already very good at, and read, he would also teach Harry easy Charms that he could do without a wand.
Harry listened in excitement. 'Oh, I will manage writing and reading very fast,' he decided. 'I want to start learning Charms straight away.'
Noticing that the teacher was giving him an enquiring glance, Harry thought to the man, 'Do I have to read aloud?'
Remus cleared his throat and replied, "Harry, I want you to speak to me. I am your teacher during our lessons, and you're my student. Now I can't teach you properly if you won't speak with me. So, yes, you have to read aloud. Every day, we will spend some time with each subject." Remus looked at Harry in determination. "All right Harry; let's start with Writing today as I think that's what you can already do best."
Harry gave the teacher an anxious glance and replied in a very small voice, "Yes, Uncle Moony."
Remus soon noticed that Harry could not only write with only a few mistakes but also read flawlessly. Harry often did not only look at his books, as some of the teachers thought, but read through his books every now and then. Eager to start learning Charms, he even complied with Remus' request and read his books aloud to his teacher; other than that, however, Harry did not speak. Only when Remus forced him to reply aloud would Harry speak the necessary words but nothing more. Nevertheless, Harry enjoyed his lessons very much, and Remus and he got along very well.
'Learning with Uncle Severus is even more interesting though,' Harry thought but knew that it wouldn't be right to voice that thought at all.
ハリーと頑固な校長先生
One morning, a few weeks into the school year, Harry woke up feeling unwell. He felt hot and cold at the same time and he felt nauseous. 'Oh, no, I don't want to be ill again,' he thought desperately. 'I don't want to miss my lessons with Uncle Moony, especially as it's the first time after the full moon,' he mused, trying to behave as normal as possible like the Dursleys had taught him.
When Minerva and Harry headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry thought, 'I better not sit at the Head table for breakfast, otherwise she'll know immediately that I'm not feeling well and will worry about me.' Therefore, he asked, 'May I sit at the Gryffindor table with Bill and Charlie Weasley? They're very nice.'
Knowing that the two Weasley boys were indeed very nice and had even offered her to look after Harry if she was busy and needed someone to watch the child for a while, Minerva agreed. Harry sat between Charlie and Bill and more or less listened to their conversation, which turned to Quidditch. "Harry, have you ever played Quidditch?" Charlie asked him.
"Yes, I play Seeker," Harry replied, feeling his stomach churn as he spoke so many words in front of the students.
"Maybe we can fly together from time to time," Charlie suggested, and Harry gave him a grateful nod.
'That would be so great; I absolutely love flying,' Harry thought but couldn't bring himself to speak to the students again. Back in their quarters, Minerva headed to her classroom and Harry stayed in the living room waiting for Remus, who normally arrived a few minutes after the first lesson started. Suddenly, he felt his stomach churning again and quickly hurried into the bathroom to empty the content of his stomach into the toilet, before he returned to his spot on the sofa just in time to see Remus step out of the fireplace.
Remus was a good teacher, and Harry had the feeling that he learned a lot during his lessons. 'I love Math and Charms the most,' he thought, enjoying the easy Charms that Remus taught him, which Harry could practise without a wand. Today however, Harry was glad when his lessons were over and Minerva came back from her classes with a proud smile on her face.
"Harry, Bill and Charlie told me that you spoke to them. I'm very proud of you. You even said a whole sentence in front of the other students," she commended the boy, who blushed deeply. "Harry, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team also spoke to me and asked if you could watch their training and maybe participate a bit. So if you feel up to fly with the students, you may join them, however you'll have to hurry as they'll be leaving the common room in a few minutes."
Harry quickly changed his clothes, took his broom and headed out to the Gryffindor common room. He enjoyed flying together with the big students, whom he adored very much, and was even allowed to play Seeker against the Seeker of the Quidditch team. Harry even managed to catch the Snitch twice, before the team Seeker had even spotted the Snitch. After that, however, he felt his condition worsen and his stomach churn again, so he returned to the ground and told the captain, "Sorry, I'm tired, may I watch for a while instead?"
"Of course, Harry, you may do as you wish, but you're really good. We're going to practise every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after the last afternoon class, and you're welcome to join us whenever you want. It'll do our Seeker good having to play against you. I hope you'll be sorted into Gryffindor in a few years, so that you can play on our team. Anyway, we have to end practise for today anyways and head to dinner. You can join us at our house table; I don't think your mother would mind."
'My mother?' Harry thought in confusion, while he trailed after the team into the Great Hall. 'Oh, right, Aunt Minerva is my adopted mother; that's why she sometimes calls me son, and especially in front of others she always speaks of me as 'my son'. But does she expect me to call her 'mum'? Hmm, maybe I should ask Aunt Poppy about that,' he mused until he noticed in surprise that dinner had already appeared on the table.
母さんと呼ぶべきなのかなあ
"You better take your bath right now, Harry," Minerva told him, noticing his sweaty face and flushed cheeks. "You look absolutely sweaty and sticky. I assume you had fun flying?"
"Yes," Harry answered aloud before he went back to mind thinking, 'They let me play Seeker against the team Seeker, and I managed to catch the Snitch twice.'
"Oh Harry, that's great, I'm sure the Seeker was very astonished to be beaten by a seven-year-old," Minerva replied, smiling, while she prepared Harry's bath.
That night, Minerva woke up to a small figure standing next to her bed, whimpering and shaking. "Harry, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly, pulling the child up onto her bed.
'I don't feel good,' Harry thought to Minerva, lying down in her arm.
Minerva carefully put her other hand on Harry's forehead, frowning at how hot he felt to the touch until Harry suddenly exclaimed, "I'm going to be sick."
Minerva had just enough time to wandlessly conjure a bucket, before Harry emptied the content of his stomach into it. "Harry, do you feel better now?" she asked, when Harry lay back and closed his eyes.
"Yes," he said in a very small voice, and Minerva pondered if she should call Poppy but decided against it seeing that it was three o'clock in the morning, so that it wasn't too long until it was time to get up anyway. She quickly gathered a stomach calming potion, the only potion she had in her quarters, and roused Harry just enough to drink the potion.
Unfortunately, the potion didn't help at all, and Harry got sick several times during the rest of the night, until Minerva became so worried that she finally called Poppy. "It's probably only the stomach flu but he seems so hot and he obviously feels dreadful," she told her friend apologizing for calling her at five o'clock in the morning.
"That's all right, Minerva, seeing that he has a fever of nearly forty degrees, you should have called me even earlier," Poppy replied in a soft voice and proceeded to wave her wand over Harry several times. "That's not the normal stomach flu," Poppy finally said, a grave expression on her face. "Harry has been poisoned."