Harry Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor - 1. Meetings in the Garden

It was three weeks into the summer holidays, and Harry Potter couldn’t wait for it to end.

The backyard of the Dursley’s home at Number 4, Privet Drive felt just the same as being outside. Here he could escape from the glaring eyes of his relatives for a few short minutes, escape from the confines of Dudley’s second room and let do something besides think. Even though working in the muggle garden of his Aunt wasn’t anything like Herbology with Professor Sprout, it was better than nothing.

Without using magic, the oppressive summer heat made it difficult to keep the plants in the garden alive, but he was managing somehow. The Weasely family had said they would come for him, but in three weeks he’d only received a few, short and cryptic messages by owl. His Aunt, in one of the few moments of kindness he could ever remember had asked (yes asked!) if he would want to work in the garden. She’d even shown a smile that morning when she commented how well the plants were doing in this heat.

Still, even the quiet work of weeding the garden didn’t keep his thoughts from wandering back to the events of the last term. He felt so…violated and betrayed by the Wizarding world that had once claimed him as its hero. The sacking of Dumbledore, the events at the Ministry, the loss of Sirius, his only real connection to his parents, all ran through his mind and he began to wonder if he really belonged there at all.

“You really do have a right touch with those plants.” The soft voice, familiar and yet unfamiliar, coming from the doorway of the house surprised him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his Aunt standing in that doorway with the softest expression he ever remembered on her face.

“It’s all that time in Herbology.” Harry murmured softly, wondering what was going to happen next.

“Ah, I remember Lily mentioning how she hated that course.” Aunt Petunia said, moving away from the doorway and heading towards Harry. “You have her eyes.”

“I know that.” Harry replied forcefully, turning away sharply. How dare she! After all these years, how dare she try to be nice!

“Something happened, didn’t it?” She pushed on.

“Something happens every year.” Harry replied honestly, choking back a sob.

“But this year was worse?” Aunt Petunia asked, her voice still soft.

“What do you care?” Harry’s voice was a sneer of contempt.

“I…here.” Aunt Petunia said, her voice snapping at the first word then softening again. She handed something to him. He took it and looked at it wonderingly for a few moments. It was a parchment, folded, crisp with age, and wrinkled. He opened it and gasped as he saw the handwriting.

Dear Sister –

If you are reading this, then I am gone. I know that growing up we were never close. I know that you resented me for many things, but I also know that I love you. I wish we could have been closer than we are now, I wish that you could have accepted the world I live in better, but in many ways I think that it was good that you did not.

You see, there’s an evil wizard named Voldemort who is tearing this world I live in upside down. He is an evil man who uses the worst magics that exist to get his way. As I’m writing this, James and I are preparing to go in hiding with our Harry. He wants to kill us, and our son, and we can’t let that happen. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you in person, so I have to say my goodbyes here. Remember that I have always loved you, sister, and that I wish you the best in your marriage to Vernon.

Tell my son that I love him too. James and I will do everything we can to keep him alive, even if it means that we die. Our enemy will stop at nothing to kill him and we can’t let that happen. I was tempted to send Harry to you for safe keeping but I know how much you and Vernon despise anything to do with the magical world. It’s at moments like this that I almost regret having gone to Hogwarts, but if I hadn’t, I’d never have met James or had my Harry.

Love,

Lily Evans-Potter

Tears fell softly down Harry’s face and he gently touched the words as he read them. When he looked up from the letter, he saw a kindness and gentleness he’d never known in his Aunt. The flood of grief that welled up inside him overcame the barriers that he’d always felt towards his Aunt and he collapsed against her in a gentle embrace. Her arms were stiff at first but she softened and ran a hand through his hair as he sobbed into her shoulder.

“Vernon hates anything to do with magic.” She stated softly. “I was so jealous of Lily and then when she died and you showed up I was so angry I let him do whatever he wanted. By the time I got over my grief it was too late to change. I’m sorry, Harry.”

“Why now?” Harry asked softly, getting some control over his grief and looking up at her face. “Why are you showing me this now?”

“You saved my Dudley.” She whispered softly, looking down into his eyes. “He means everything to me and you still saved him despite the way we’ve treated you. I’ve had a lot of time to think, Harry, and I realized just how much like my sister you are and that I miss her.”

“They were after me, not him.” Harry said, remembering the attack of the Dementors from last year. “They were after me and he was just there.”

“But you still saved him.” Petunia said, her voice regaining some composure as Harry took a step back from her. “You saved my little Dudleykins. He means everything to me. Vernon and I thought if you didn’t know what magic was, or that your kind existed this bad guy wouldn’t ever find you or put us in danger, but they came HERE!”

“He’d have found me eventually.” Harry replied. “The only difference is that I can defend myself now.”

“There was more than just those…things?” She asked him, her eyes showing worry.

“He’s been trying to get me since First Year.” Harry told her. “He almost succeeded this time. He DID get Sirius this time…my godfather…”

“I remember him.” Petunia said with a shudder. “Scary chap. I’m sorry Harry.”

“So am I.” Harry agreed softly and somehow, he felt better. Not a lot, but a little bit.

“Vernon won’t accept you, ever.” Petunia said softly. “He hates anything to do with magic and will never change on that.”

“What about you?” Harry asked her.

“You’re my family.” She said, her eyes expressing sadness. “When he’s not around, we’ll be able to talk. I’m just afraid of how he’d react if he saw me being too nice. You only have to stay here a few months, I live with him. Even more than that, though, he's always paid attention to me. My family, they loved your mother, always saying how great she was, but they never said that about me. Vernon did.”

“I understand.” Harry said, even though he didn’t really. He wondered why she wouldn’t leave him, but that was a different argument. “Thank you.”

“I should have shown you that sooner.” Petunia said. “I remember I use to love it when Lily would send me a letter. She had the most beautiful owl I’d ever seen. Reminds me of yours, it did.”

“I…I’ll write you this year if you like.” Harry offered softly.

“We’ll just have to figure some way to not have Vernon see it.” Petunia said with a smile and a gleam in her eyes.

“I’ll have them delivered to the garden.” Harry said with a mischievous smile.

“That might work…” Petunia began to say but was cut off as the sound of a door slamming shut came from the house. The mask of the last few years appeared on her face and she walked back into the house with only a parting glance at Harry.

Harry went and turned on the garden hose to begin watering the garden. As he stood there spraying the parched plants he thought about his life and his family. It seemed like every time a door closed or he lost someone, another door would open for him to experience his family in a new way. He fingered the folded parchment now in his pocket and thought about the relationship between his mother and aunt. What would it have been like to have grown up with them both in his life? Despite the hot day, he felt a sudden chill and slight darkening around him, like when a cloud passed across the sun. That was all the warning he needed as the training, and events of the last year took over. In a flash, he dropped the garden hose and had his wand out as he spun around.

Still, he wasn’t fast enough. The figure on the broom got his spell off first and it Harry in the chest. The Expelliarmus knocked him back in the garden bed and his wand was nowhere close. The figure on the broom descended until its rider dismounted a short distance from Harry. With the sun in Harry’s eyes, it took him a few moments to recognize the figure. However that slender frame, expensive robes, and crown of silver hair could only be one person that Harry knew.

“Malfoy.” Harry hissed in pain.

“Potter.” Malfoy sneered in his usual manner. “I’d have thought a wizard capable of defeating the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters wouldn’t have had a problem with someone like me.”

“What are you doing?” Harry replied. “You’ll get in trouble for underage use of magic!”

“I’m a Malfoy!” came the reply. “I don’t worry about little things like that!”

“That’s why Lucius is in Azkaban!” Harry sneered back. After five years he was perfectly capable of copying the patented Malfoy sneer.

“SHUT UP!” Malfoy yelled, coming closer and kicking Potter. There was a commotion at the door to the house, and both boys looked for a brief moment, but all they say was the door being slammed shut. Malfoy chuckled sarcastically. “Looks like the rest of your family doesn’t share your Gryffindor courage, Potter.”

“What are you doing, Malfoy?” Harry repeated softly.

“Can’t you see?” Malfoy sneered, kicking Harry again. “I’m here to get my revenge! You sent my father to Azkaban! You ruined the Malfoy name! I’m going to kill you.”

“No you’re not.” Harry said, and was surprised at how calm his voice was. “You might kick me some more, put a hex on me, but you’re not here to kill me.”

“What makes you think that, Potty?” Malfoy sneered, adding another kick for emphasis.

“Because if you were, you would have used one of the Unforgivables instead of a spell we learned in First Year.”

“That’s pretty stupid reasoning.” Malfoy spat. “No wonder you aren’t in Ravenclaw.”

“Look, just hit me, kick me, curse me, or do whatever it is that will make you feel better. Then don’t bother me again till school starts.” Harry said contemptuously.

“SHUT UP!” Malfoy responded angrily, adding a kick for emphasis. Harry reacted with his quick Seeker reflexes and grabbed the foot. He pulled on it and Malfoy fell backwards, hitting his head hard on the ground. Harry leaped to his feet, spotted his own wand not more than a foot away, grabbed it and was on top of Malfoy before the boy had even realized he was flat on his back. By the time Malfoy tried to stand, Harry had straddled him, pinning the boy’s arms with his own knees and his wand touching that spot right between Malfoy’s eyes. Grief welled up again inside Harry as he once more visualized the stunned body of Sirius falling into the Veil. The grief turned into rage and Harry called up that rage preparing to take it out on this…thing.

“Do it.” Malfoy whispered as he saw the rage on Harry’s face. His own face changed into an expression that Harry had never seen before, an expression of hope. “Just get it over with.”

The rage flooded out of Harry like a dam that had burst. He leaned over, took Malfoy’s wand that was lying nearby and thrust it into his belt loop. He stood, backing slowly from his attacker, his wand never wavering. The air around them was filled with suddenly with the sound of people apparating, and Harry relaxed as he saw the familiar faces of the Order.

“You okay, Harry?” Remus Lupin asked, his wand out and pointing at Draco Malfoy as he rushed to Harry’s side.

“Fine, Remus.” Harry said softly. “Just a few bruises.”

“Looksy like we got ourselves another Malfoy to put in Azkaban.” Tonks was saying with a delighted tone. Her grin was expansive. “Several muggles saw him on his broom in the middle of the day, he attacked you, and he used magic while underage. Sure do look like he’s gonna meet Daddy in Azkaban.”

Harry was still watching Malfoy and saw the look of tired resignation on his face as the Aurors got him to his feet. Before anything else could be said, he was bound magically and the air was filled with the sound of apparating as Tonks took him back to the Ministry.

“Well, Harry,” Remus Lupin said with a soft smile. “Nice to see that you’re still sharp here. You’ll have to come to the ministry to testify before he gets sent to Azkaban, but I’ll come get you before that happens. Before I go, I’ll have a little chat with your relatives.”

“Wait!” Harry said sharply. He had so many questions about what was going on…

“Harry, I can’t explain anything right now.” Remus said with a sigh. “I want to, believe me I do, but Dumbledore made us swear an oath.”

“Not even…” Harry began but stopped when Remus shook his head.

“No, Harry.” Remus said. “There’s so much going on right now that we think it’s best if you’re not in the Wizardling world. You’d become a pawn of the political forces that are going on, and we can’t allow that to happen.”

“So instead I’m just Dumbledore’s pawn?” Harry sneered, unconsciously mirroring his recently departed attacker. Remus seemed shocked by that expression and it took him a moment to respond.

“Harry, you’re nobody’s pawn.” He said sincerely. “Hell, if you were you’d probably have had things easier! But that’s neither here nor there. The thing is, there’s a backlash going on right now. The Ministry has swung from ignoring You Know Who to seeing him under every rock. If they had their way they’d throw everyone suspected of being a Death Eater into Azkaban forever and they’d be happy to use you to do that. So long as you are living with muggles, you’re not going to be involved in that.”

“Then why do I have to go testify against Malfoy?” Harry asked, seeing the hole in that logic.

“Because it’s the law.” Lupin answered. “Dumbledore is trying to keep the Ministry from violating the laws it’s supposed to support and since Malfoy is one of his students he’ll make sure the law is followed.”

“Why?” Harry sneered again. “He’s a Death Eater!”

“No, he’s not.” Lupin said, sighing again. “After Lucius Malfoy ended up in Azkaban, You Know Who tried to initiate young Malfoy immediately upon his return to Malfoy Manor. The young man refused, and refused in quite a spectacular manner I am told. His mother was checked into St. Mungos shortly after that. We’ve been looking for him since. Poor lad. I don't know what happened since then, but he's gone and attacked you. I don't think he's a Death Eater, but he'll be branded one by the Ministry. He probably won’t last too long in Azkaban once the Death Eaters still there find out about him.”

“You can’t send him there!” Harry said at once. He remembered his conviction that Malfoy wouldn’t kill him, and the thought of his…antagonist being killed in that prison sent shivers down his spine.

“Not your worry, boy.” Remus said over his shoulder as he headed inside for a short chat with the Durseley family. “Just mind you to be ready and testify against the lad!”

Harry fumed outside in silent anger until he heard the sound of Remus Lupin leaving from inside the house. His relatives were quiet, and there was a look of concern on his aunt’s face as he went upstairs, but he ignored everything. To his surprise, his Aunt brought up a small plate of food for him as dinner. Meanwhile he just lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thoughts.

*~*~*~*~*

It was two weeks before an owl arrived. The message it carried was short, just telling him to be dressed in robes and ready to go by 8:00 a.m. the next morning. Harry was ready and waiting a good hour early and when the sound of his escort arriving resonated through the house, made his way downstairs. He wasn’t surprised to see that it was the female Auror, Tonks and he nodded at her wordlessly as he asked if he was ready. A few moments later, they appeared in front of the now familiar Ministry building and they made their way inside.

It felt…odd to be back in this building. The urge to head to that…room…was strong, but he resisted it just as strongly. Tonks made several failed attempts to start up a conversation with him so their journey downstairs was made in quiet. As they entered the level where his own trial had been held the year before he couldn’t help but shiver as he realized just how much had changed since then…how much he had changed.

“Now, Harry,” Tonks said quietly. “The trial won’t start for another two hours. You can stay in a side room with some friends until it does. We just wanted you here…”

“Where’s Malfoy?” Harry asked, his voice cold.

“Huh?” Tonks said, confused at the interruption. “Oh, the boy. He’s in a holding cell until his trial.”

“Take me to him.” Harry ordered.

“I can’t…”

“Take me to him now, Tonks.” Harry ordered in that cold voice he’d learned over the last few weeks.

“Harry, you have to underst…” Tonks tried to say before he interrupted her again.

“Take me to see him now, or I won’t say a word at his trial.” Harry demanded.

“Are you sure?” Tonks asked, her voice full of concern.

“Tonks, please.” Harry said, his voice growing warmer and a hint of pleading entering into it.

“You’ll have to explain to the Weasely family.” She said with a huff. “They are waiting for you here.”

“I’ll explain to them, I promise.” Harry said, patting her on the arm. “I have to do this.”

“You’re a Gryffindor, alright.” Tonks said with a snort as she led him out of the hallway and back to the elevator. A few minutes later they were in a different hallway and Tonks was talking quietly with some very big, and cautious, men. After a few minutes of harsh conversation, one of the men came over to him and stared down at him.

“You sure about this, boy?” He asked in a harsh voice. Harry just nodded. The man demanded Harry’s wand, which he gave over reluctantly, and then led him down another hallway. They stopped in front of a doorway, and Harry got his first look at Draco Malfoy since the incident in the backyard. Malfoy looked…tired. There were bags under his eyes and they looked red, like he had been crying. The room was small with a bed, washstand, toilet, and a table with a chair. Malfoy sat on the bed and barely looked up. Harry took the chair next to the table and watched as the guard had shut the door. A little grate in the upper section of the door slid open and the eyes of the guard could be seen on the other side.

“I want privacy.” Harry ordered in that cold voice. His voice caused Malfoy to look up in shock, and the guard’s eyes widened slightly.

“Orders.” The guard explained. “Visitors to Death Eaters must be monitored at all times.”

“Malfoy’s not a Death Eater.” Harry said quietly. “And I’m the Boy Who Lived. When I say privacy, I expect to get it!”

The guard’s eyes opened even wider and after a moment, he slid the opening shut. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still listening, but it was some more privacy and Harry felt a little thrill at having made the man back down. For the first time he felt as if his celebrity status might be good for something after all. It had been five weeks since he’d gone home from school, and that was five weeks of thinking about things in ways he’d never done before.

“You almost sounded Slytherin.” Malfoy’s voice dragged him back to the present and he turned to look at the guy who had been his protagonist in school for the past five years.

“I’ve heard it often enough by now that I have it almost perfect.” Harry said with a snort.

“Most of it from me.” Malfoy sighed as he leaned back against the wall. He stared at Harry for several minutes while neither spoke. “Why are you here? You’re the first person except Dumbledore they let in.”

“Why?” Harry asked softly. “Why did you attack me like that?”

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Malfoy said, a hint of his old sneer appearing on his face. “I’d think even a Gryffindork would be able to figure it out. You put my dad in prison, my mother in St. Mungo’s and ruined the Malfoy name!”

“How did I do that?” Harry asked quietly.

“How?” Malfoy responded with a full load of sarcasm. “You bloody well know how! You were there when he was arrested! You’re the one who’s been saying he was there last year when You Know Who was resurrected. Hell it was YOUR blood that brought YOU KNOW WHO back and caused my Dad to go all Death Eatery!”

“Your dad was a Death Eater long before you or I ever came along Malfoy.” Harry said sternly. “I didn’t force your dad to be there that night. He chose to follow Voldemort. He chose to be there and he paid the price for that choice. A lot of us paid the price the night.”

“Oh yeah?” Malfoy’s voice still held scorn, and anger. “Well it wasn’t your father that was lost that night.”

“No,” Harry said, his voice full of anger and his tone condescending. "I lost my father 15 years ago to that bastard Voldemort who your father served! The only person I lost that night was my GODFATHER who was the closest thing to a FATHER I’ve ever known!”

Malfoy seemed to shake each time Harry shouted a word out. They sat like that, Harry leaning forward with a look of rage consuming his face and Malfoy cowering back against the wall in surprise, giving little shakes every couple of seconds.

“I’m sorry.” Malfoy said after at least five minutes had passed.

“You’re sorry for what?” Harry sneered back.

“That you lost someone you cared for.” Malfoy said softly. “I’ve never lost anyone like that before and I think I might have some idea of what it feels like now.”

“Your dad’s not dead, he’s just in prison. Besides like you said before we left school, he’ll probably get busted out soon anyway.” Harry said.

“Not if he’s smart, he won’t.” Malfoy said softly. Harry looked at him inquisitively before Malfoy explained. “The Dark Lord isn’t too happy with his failure right now, nor with me refusing the dark mark. If he saw my father anytime soon he’d probably kill him out of sheer pique.”

“Why did you attack me?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know, Potter.” Malfoy said snottily, and a little of the old Malfoy seemed to come to life. For some reason it made Harry feel better. “I blamed you for my dad and I had to take it out on someone. Ever since you refused to shake my hand you’ve been my favorite target.”

“I’ve noticed that.” Harry snorted with a slight chuckle. Both young men gave each other weak, tentative smiles.

“Why didn’t you?” Malfoy asked after another few moments.

“Why didn’t I what?” Harry asked.

“Why didn’t you shake my hand that first year?” Malfoy asked in that soft tone Harry was coming to like a lot.

“Do you remember the first time we met in Diagon Alley?” Harry queried.

“Of course, it was in Madam…”

“Yes, do you remember what you did?”

“I called Hagrid a…”

“Exactly.” Harry answered.

“What?” Malfoy asked with a confused look. “Just because I insulted that half-giant ignoramus…”

“That half-giant ignoramus had just finished saving my life from my muggle relatives who were doing everything they could to keep me out of Hogwarts.” Harry snarled with a fierce look on his face. “Then on the train you go and insult the first person MY AGE who had ever been nice to me.”

“You mean Weasely?” Malfoy said with a surprised look on his face. “You mean if I’d been nice to you first and WEASELY had come up insulting me you would have defended me?”

“Probably.” Harry answered in all honestly. “Although I don’t know how much of your smarmy mouth I’d have put up with. Who knows, I might have let the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin.”

“SLYTHERIN!” Malfoy shouted. “THE SORTING HAT WANTED TO PUT YOU IN SLYTHERIN?”

“Yeah.” Harry said with a slight chuckle. The little opening in the door slid aside and the guard’s eyes took in the room. In a harsh voice he said that Malfoy was to be taken upstairs for his trial in five minutes.

“I need to straighten up a bit.” Malfoy said as the guard continued to stare at them. “Have to look like a Malfoy before I get sent off to dear old dad.”

“Do you still want to kill me for what’s happened to your dad?” Harry asked.

“I never wanted to kill you.” Malfoy responded as the guard opened the door for Harry. “I just didn’t want to admit that to myself. Things might have been so different if you had shaken my hand.”

“Things might have been different if you were worthy of shaking my hand.” Harry said with a smirk.

“How….Slytherin, Potter.” Malfoy said with a genuine smile on his face. The last sight of him Harry had was him turning to the washstand and using a small rag to wipe his face. The door to the small cell closed and the guard escorted him to Tonks. As he followed the Auror back up to the court rooms, carefully putting his wand back in it’s holder, his mind raced with so many possibilities.

So many what if’s.