HERE WE GO AGAIN (Patreon)

Chapter 7- Down the memory lane-II

“Sometimes, I want to believe that your family’s ideology was right, Dorea.” Charlus muttered as he got up to pick a glass of firewhiskey from the table. He moved to stand over the fireplace and stared into the roaring fire.

“I would gladly use every curse known to mankind to torture those sorry excuse of human beings. I would keep them alive, just so that I can torture them again and again.” He growled.

The females in the room didn’t speak when the man spoke. Potters in temper was not something that should be trifled with. The three of them knew it first hand by now.

He gulped down the drink in one chug and placed the glass down and returned to the pensieve.

He looked to the others in the room. “Let’s continue.”

The rest of them followed his lead into the pensieve.

The scene changed to young Harry pushing his cart towards the muggle entrance of the platform to board the Express. Although the boy was alone, nothing could tarnish his excitement as he looked forward to beginning a new life.

They watched as Harry received help from a kind woman who showed him as to how to get onto the platform.

“She looks like a Prewett?” Dorea frowned, turning towards Daphne for any sort of confirmation.

“Yes. She married a Weasley and that is her family. She had seven kids.”

Charlus and Euphemia chuckled. “They surely are a fertile bunch, those Prewett women.” Euphemia whispered.

“All males?” Charlus questioned. The Weasley family were known for providing male heirs. It had been almost half a dozen centuries back that there was a Weasley girl.

“No, one female. The last child was a girl. She was a year younger than us.”

The four of them noticed the young girl in the memory this time. They watched as Harry boarded the train with the help of a pair of twin boys who they noticed earlier in the memory.

As Harry sat down in one of the compartments, the boy from before, entered the compartment. He sat down across from Harry and introduced himself as Ron Weasley. The two boys then continued talking to each other and when the red head learnt that Harry was Harry Potter, his reaction was comical and Harry then proceeded to confirm that, when the boy asked for his scar.

“What was that about?” Dorea questioned. “The scar?” Daphne shook her head.

“That is the spot where the killing curse struck and rebounded on him.” She explained to their horrified faces.

“That was how they identified him. He was not like the Potters that we usually were told about. He was a tiny thing, almost too small around us, always wearing baggy clothes and those glasses of his were scratched and taped and broken. Many of us purebloods had no idea why he was that way. He was the heir of a wealthy family and he was always dressed like a rag picker. I never saw him dress the way he does until his final year.”

They continued with the memory and were then introduced to Hermione Granger.

“And that is another of his friends. Hermione Granger. They had a nickname, the three of them.

‘The Golden Trio.’ That is what we used to call them. They were inseparable. Always together and always getting into trouble from what I have heard.” Daphne explained.

The sight of Hogwarts to little Harry was one of joy, awe and excitement. Dorea and Euphemia enjoyed the expressions on the young boy’s face as he made his first trip to Hogwarts. They watched the interaction between Harry and a blonde boy. Harry’s reply had Charlus laughing heartily, as the boy’s face twisted into a scowl.

“He speaks his mind. That is excellent. A Gryffindor, through and through.” He whispered, his eyes lit with joy. Dorea and Euphemia were amused at his reaction. Just a few moments back, he was stewing with fury and all of a sudden, he was laughing jovially. Charlus and his mood swings.

“Who was that boy?” Dorea questioned sometime later. “I don’t need to know his name to know that he is one of those purebloods, thinking that he was better than everyone.” Dorea hated these kind of people. She made sure that James never grew up that way, like a spoiled pureblood who thought that he was entitled to everything and the world revolved around his feet.

She was a Black. They were better than everyone. That was what she was taught, by her father, but Dorea knew better. Just because she was from a very old family, she had no right acting high and mighty. Her husband was the most powerful man she had ever seen in her life and Charlus never felt entitled.

A man worthy of every power and respect that comes to him and yet a man unlike she had seen. She was attracted to Charlus from the moment she set her eyes on him. How could she not? An extremely intelligent man. Exceedingly handsome and rich. Gifted with a wand. An ideal man. A perfect man, for many pureblood heiresses. Not for her. Dorea fell for Charlus, for his unyielding strength. For his ideals. For his principles. For his nature. For being him.

She could have come to love Charlus Potter. The Lord of the most powerful family in magical Britain. Instead, she fell in love with Charlus. Just Charlus.

“That is Draco Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy’s son.”

Dorea stared at Daphne incredulously. “Cissa married that Malfoy boy?” She asked. Her brother would have never approved of this match. It was just too wrong.

“I think it was a betrothal.” Daphne answered.

Arcturus was as shrewd as they come. But underneath all that, he was a kind man. A man who married for love, would never sign away his family in things like contracts and with families like Malfoys, at that. She would have never agreed to this.

“He was the Dark Lord’s strongest supporter. His most trusted. Upthere with Bellatrix.” She declared gently, knowing that she would have a lot of explaining to do. Dorea’s face twisted into anger.

"I know it is difficult for you to grasp it, but the Blacks fell down the totem pole after Arcturus died." Daphne soothed the woman.

"My father used to speak a lot about the might of the House of Black. It was a compulsory lesson for every pureblood heir or heiress. But once they pledged their support to the Dark Lord, everything went wrong." Daphne explained.

"Walburga who was the head of the family, after both her husband and Arcturus's death, just like every pureblood supporter, pledged her support to the Dark Lord. To solidify her position, she gave away your grandnieces to his staunchest supporters in marriage. Bellatrix married Rudolphus Lestrange. Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy and Andromeda should have married into the Yaxley family."

"Should have?" Charlus questioned curiously.

"Yes. Should have. She ran away from the family and married a muggle-born." She tried to gauge the reaction of the other three.

Charlus and Euphemia were shocked and Dorea was torn between anger and amusement.

"That was exactly what every pureblood at that time thought of the news. She was the only one apart from Narcissa that remained from your illustrious family. The rest were killed. Bellatrix died loyal to the dark lord, and crazy. By the time she was dead, she had killed hundreds, and tortured them for fun."

"I don't have much information regarding Regulus, but he was dead before we were born. Sirius Black spent twelve years imprisoned wrongly in Azkaban for betraying Harry's parents." She finished sadly.

She observed the three of them. Not much could be discerned from their expressions, but she knew that they were sad. Especially Dorea. Like many purebloods, she would have grown up with the same motto that family is the most important thing in the world. Imagine learning the fate of your family in advance and not a happy one at that.

"But that is in the past. It won't happen again. Not with him standing guard to protect his family." She nodded towards the young man in the pensieve.

"Let's take a break. It is necessary." Daphne's tone held no room for argument. “We will get back to seeing it sometime later.”

—----&&&----------

“Have you planned anything about the gathering you are thinking of holding in the summer?” Arcturus questioned as he and Harry sipped their respective tea cups. He had decided to spend some time reading something when Arcturus had floo called him and asked for his presence.

“Isn’t that at least a few months away?” Harry asked. “It is, but you need to begin planning. Especially if this is a political statement.” Arcturus pointed out.

At Harry’s frown, he continued.

“You are now the Lord of the Potter and Black families. The allies of the families are the exact opposite.” Arcturus explained. “The traditional allies of the Blacks are what you would call, bigoted pureblood families. The supporters of the Potters are the exact opposite of everything the Black family supporters believe.”

“Although many of your ancestors are grey, the other families believe that the Potters are a light family and to this day, that belief has remained.”

Arcturus took a deep breath. “Since you relinquished every ally to our family, there will be a lot of arse kissing on that matter. I assume that you will be making certain families furious?” Harry nodded.

“I thought so.” Arcturus nodded. His serious visage turned mischievous. “I am waiting to see their faces.” Harry snorted , as he placed his tea cup back down. “I would rather let you deal with the politics of the family.”

The older man shook his head. “No. I am rather curious to see how well you will be able to handle this situation. Something tells me that I am going to enjoy what you have planned in store.” He reminded Harry of an evil scheming old men from muggle children's stories.

“You are not what everyone tries to paint. I have seen kids with more maturity than you.” Harry complained, bemused by his actions.

“Hah! If you have seen people like I have, I would like to see you remain silent, boy. I need to get my fun from somewhere.” He shrugged.

“I can’t say that you would like this Arcturus, but I will be turning things on its head. Lots of things won’t be the same again. These people might not like it. They may be your friends. But I won’t care. And at that time, I will listen to nobody. Not even you.” Harry warned.

He had to. He didn’t care what people would think. Or as a matter of fact, what the rest of his family thinks. He needs to make decisions. If it seems rough, tough luck. He will do it anyway and Merlin save those who try to interfere.

“That is the point.” Arcturus began. “I will never stand between your decisions. Not after you have told me about everything that happens going forward. If it takes decisions that I don’t like to keep us and my family alive, I will follow your every order blindly.”

Harry nodded, not speaking after the older man’s declaration. He let the man think for a while.

Arcturus grabbed another set of letters from his desk and glared at them.

“I had enough of Abraxus Malfoy.” He muttered irritably.

At Harry’s questioning gaze, he continued. “He has been pestering my son and daughter-in-law for Narcissa’s hand in marriage for his son. Walburga is open to the match and she is putting a lot of pressure to accept the offer.” He threw the letter down.

“I am fed up with that bint.”

He watched as the young man's jaw tightened. Arcturus knew by now that the young man was affectionate towards his granddaughter. He was curious to see how he would deal with this issue.

"Kreacher!" The elf popped into the room, bowing low in greeting.

"Ask Walburga to come and see us." The elf shuddered slightly at his tone.

"At once, Lord Black."

The two men didn't speak a word to each other as they sat in wait for the woman to come in. She entered the room a few minutes later.

She regarded her father-in-law and Harry with distaste in her expression.

"What is this I hear about a marriage contract, Mrs Black?" Harry questioned.

The woman sniffed haughtily. "Of course. Lucius Malfoy will make for a perfect match to our Narcissa. A rich family, powerful, more than that, he is pureblood." She explained.

"The Malfoys are up there in the society. In the upper echelons. We Blacks should ally ourselves with these families. What better way than a marriage with the heirs of this family?" She questioned.

"What about Narcissa?" Harry asked.

"Doesn't she deserve a say in this? It is her life that we are deciding aren't we?"

The woman shook her head. "Narcissa has been brought up as a proper pureblood lady. She knows her responsibilities. She would accept the offer. I am sure of it.” She answered pretty confidently.

“Didn’t you marry out of love, Mrs Black?” Harry questioned.

The woman nodded. “I did.” She replied confused by his questioning.

“Then don’t you think that Narcissa and her sisters for that matter deserve the same. Don’t they deserve to marry out of love?” Harry asked the woman. When she refused to answer, Harry continued.

“So it was okay for you, to marry out of love, but the same is not acceptable to Narcissa? I don’t understand this double standard, Mrs Black. Why are you set on having your niece being wedded to him?” He questioned.

“I remember very well how Narcissa reacted when this same topic was breached during my first visit here. If she is not happy, I don’t see how this will happen.” Harry’s answer broke no argument.

“Narcissa will marry the man of her choices. She will be free to do as she pleases. She can study more. Get into any profession she wants. Nobody and I repeat nobody can persuade her or me otherwise. Remember, that is applicable to all the members of my family. They will grow up and go on with their own merits and strengths. That is applicable to every issue.”

The woman bit her lip, a sneer decorating her face, but she dared not voice her opinion. Not now. “You can leave.” He dismissed the woman who was quick to flee the room.

The younger man turned to face Arcturus who had a look of deep respect on his face.

“You are so much better than I had thought. You just smacked her down and without any form of disrespect. “

“That woman was a portrait in my time, Arcturus. Sirius hated her. He was disgusted to even look at the woman and she was his mother. When he described what she had done, I understood why. That woman will destroy your family beyond anything you can measure. She would hand over the family to that mad man along with your grandson and granddaughters. I won’t let that happen this time.” Harry vowed.

“I can’t see Narcissa in a loveless marriage. I can’t see little Bella turn into the monster that the entire wizarding world cursed and feared. I can’t see Sirius being put into Azkaban for something he didn’t do. I can’t watch Bellatrix kill Sirius fighting on the opposite sides of the war.” His breathing was hard and his eyes alit with fury.

"Do me a favour, Harry." Harry nodded, calming himself. "Don't ever tell me what happens in the future. I know enough by now that it was not what I had envisioned. I want you to never speak about this to me." Harry nodded again.

"Thank you." Arcturus busied himself with a few parchments. "I need your help on a few more matters." He pushed a long sheet of parchment towards him.

"I have been receiving various offers of investments and I wanted to see if you have anything to say."

Harry read through the parchment. Nimbus. Firebolt. He smiled slightly.

"Do it." Harry instructed. "In fact, have the owner come and meet us. We will buy a fourth each from both families." Harry said.

The comet was the only broom market in this world. The other had not been introduced yet. Harry wanted to cash in quickly. These brands will just add onto the coffers. Fifty percent of the profits and Harry knew that they would bring profits.

He knew that James would love the brooms of his time. They are very fast and judging by what he knew of him, he would love it.  very good compared to the current cleansweeps. He was a daredevil on the broom, the little bugger.

“So, you knew these companies then?” Harry nodded. “Yep. You just won’t regret it.”

Harry stood up. “I better get going, Arcturus.” Harry muttered, looking at the clock in the mantel.

“It’s been a few hours already. I think that the others are done with their work.”

The two of them shook hands and Harry began his walk back to the floo room at the manor. He stepped into the floo and when he arrived at the Potter Manor, he walked straight into the sitting room. When he heard no sound, he understood that they were not done yet.

He stretched back and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep on the couch he was sitting on.

—---&&&--------

“Better be…….. Gryffindor!!!!” The hat announced to the Great Hall. The table of red and gold erupted in cheers with the most boisterous chants belonging to the Weasley twins.

“Look at that.” Dorea’s voice was smug. “He is a closet Slytherin.” Charlus nodded.

“If not for that Weasley boy, he would have been a Slytherin. I am sure he got that from me.” She bragged smugly.

The little boy quickly dashed to the Gryffindor table amid the applause. Once again, it was not difficult to see the difference between Harry and the other youngsters around him. He was too short and scrawny. The abuse had done a lot to his body. Malnourished and weak.

They watched as he finished his first day at Hogwarts. The memory continued to play and they witnessed the boy go to his classes. What angered the Potters was the treatment of Snape towards Harry.

“Those are not questions that a first year student should be asked?” Euphemia exclaimed. Daphne nodded.

She didn’t know what the reason was and she never questioned him, but Harry and Snape were never on the same page. The man hated him on a level they could never describe. It was evident by the number of points he used to take from Harry. He takes a lot of points from Gryffindor, but when it comes to Harry, it just goes a level higher.

“Snape and Harry never saw eye to eye with each other. They hated each other with a passion. I have never asked him why, but there must be some reason.”

The next scenario was his first flying lesson. Now that caused a scare to the audience watching through the pensieve. Harry’s antics on the broom was certainly not for the faint hearted.

The dive he performed to catch the remembrall that was falling down from a great height.

“He went on to become the youngest seeker in a century. In spite of the bad mouthing from Malfoy, he went on to prove just why he was the best seeker Hogwarts had seen.” Daphne praised. “He never lost a match for Gryffindor. Not when he was fit.”

As she said, the memory then proceeded to show the appointment of Harry as the Gryffindor seeker. James did pass on his quidditch abilities to Harry, it seemed. Charlus, though an enthusiastic quidditch fan, was not a player. He was an adequate flier, just not the same as Harry or James.

The pride in his eyes at accomplishing something shone brightly. He was understandably nervous, not being used to doing something like this. Harry’s life continued the same as he began blending in. He adjusted to the new lifestyle and although it was not like he was supposed to have grown up, it was a significant improvement from the old lifestyle.

Draco Malfoy then had to go and challenge Harry into a wizard’s duel and Harry was foolish enough to accept it and did go to fight with his friend Weasley. As the elders now expected, he didn’t come to the trophy room and the three Gryffindors realized that they were tricked. When Filch seemed to be looking for them, the three of them rushed away not realizing that they were running into the third floor corridor that Dumbledore had warned them of.

It was then that they heard a growl and with a snarl, a three headed dog tried to pounce upon the three kids. If they had not been out of reach for the beast which had been tied, they would have been ripped into pieces. They rushed out of the room as quickly as possible and returned to the common room.

“A cerberus? Did anybody else know what was in there?” Charlus questioned. He hoped not. Dumbledore would have been ripped to shreds if the parents had got to know of the presence of a dangerous beast in the school where their children study.

Daphne shook her head. “This is the first time I am hearing of it.” She answered. “There were rumors about his exploits. Lots of rumors, but there was nothing concrete about what Harry and his friends used to get into. It always remained a mystery. Somehow, it would all boil down to Harry Potter, who would solve it. The rumors are far from the truth, but the truth is much more astonishing.” She said.

Harry’s owl one day brought down a parcel and dropped it in his hands. The young man was shocked that someone had sent him something and when he opened it, Harry was shocked to see a shiny new broomstick. Harry looked back up at  Hedwig who flew towards McGonagall.

Dorea and Charlus shared a smile at that. The woman was one of Charlus’s most important friends and Dorea had liked the woman very much once she had gotten to know her. A strict and stern, but a wonderful woman at heart. They did make the right choice in appointing the woman as James’s godmother.

“That is Minerva being Minerva.” Charlus chuckled fondly. Harry smiled thankfully at the woman who smiled back at him. “It is a shame that she didn’t marry.” Euphemia sighed. “She would have made a wonderful mother.” The others nodded.

The Halloween incident was not something they had ever imagined. A troll. A troll inside the safest building in the entire magical Britain. And two boys to fight that troll when they should have been assured into safety. Granted, the two boys had ignored the strict orders to go back to their common rooms.

The foolish decision that the two boys took left the four in anger. Taking on a fully grown troll with no knowledge of what to do. That was stupid. “What in the name of Merlin was that?” Daphne questioned incredulously. She knew that he did something against the troll, but this was plain stupid.

Throughout the confrontation, the family was almost scared to watch. Especially when he jumped on the troll and stuck a wand up its nose. It pretty much gave them an idea of what they would be seeing in the future memories to come.

“You stupid boy.” Dorea muttered unhappily.

The mood improved considerably when Harry made his debut to the Gryffindor team.

When his broom began to buck wildly in the air, the Potter women were sure that he would fall down. The broom wobbled uncontrollably and Harry almost did fall off. They breathed a sigh of relief when he got back his control.

The way the snitch was caught was funny, but the joy on his face, the feeling of accomplishment on his face was a treat to watch. Once again, little things like catching a snitch for his house team brought so much happiness to the young man and they were struck by another recurring thought about just how his life was different than what they knew about.

They had then watched Harry and his friends discuss the weird behavior of his broom. Hermione Granger explained what happened and how Snape was cursing his broom. She went on to explain how she had lit his cloak on fire and he stopped chanting and the broom stopped bucking. Snape was quickly becoming a point of anger to the family. They didn’t get what the man had against Harry. Despite Hagrid assuring them that Snape was just not like that, none were ready to accept it.

The next memory was that of christmas. They watched as Harry opened his presents, still in disbelief that he had managed to receive presents. The last present that Harry opened was what made Charlus sit up.

“How did our cloak end up in another person’s hand?” He questioned, his eyes taking in the memory in detail. The cloak never leaves the hands of a Potter. Nobody should know of it. And certainly not be with anybody else.

“Harry’s invisibility cloak?” Daphne questioned. At Charlus’s nod, she continued.

“The deathly hallow?” Charlus’s neck snapped back quickly as he stared at the girl in shock. The expression was mirrored by the other Potters.

“It is a deathly hallow?” Charlus croaked, his eyes wide. He had never known that the cloak belonged to the legend. He was told the exact same thing by his father. The cloak had been passed on from father to son for generations and his father had asked him to take special care of it. What Charlus found weird was the way this cloak behaved differently from the normal ones. It was too big. It was nay impossible to summon the cloak from its user. It thrummed with magic. Too much magic. Charlus had been sensitive to magic. He was pretty good at feeling magic and this cloak was not something small.

“Are you absolutely sure of it?” The young woman nodded. “Harry himself told me that. I was shocked when I heard of it and he explained the connection of the Peverells to the story of the three brothers.”

Charlus nodded slowly. “I always knew that the cloak was special, but I had not expected this.”

He shook his head. “We will speak about it another time. Let’s finish that first.”

Amidst various doubts, the memory continued and they watched the three of them investigate the third floor corridor. The cerberus and the trap door under its paw was a cause of concern and during this investigation, Harry and his friends came across Nicholas Flamel.

The immortal alchemist and his creation, ‘The philosophers stone’ were well known all over the world and that raised alarm bells.

When Hagrid let slip that Dumbledore and Flamel had some dealings, Harry was sure that he had read the name somewhere. He used the opportunity to do some research in the restricted section of the library with the help of his invisibility cloak. When he was almost about to be caught, he stumbled into a room trying to hide from Snape and Filch who were investigating somebody’s presence in the restricted section of the library.

The memory continued when Harry discovered the Mirror of Erised. It seemed like an old mirror that everybody would have in their family, but the speciality of the mirror was then revealed and it was anything but ordinary. Where he should have seen himself in the mirror, he saw something else. The vision in the mirror was painful for the family. Harry watched his reflection and suddenly two new faces stepped up next to him, circling their arms around the young man’s shoulders. It was followed by the faces of many of them that could only be his family. Charlus did see him and his wife in the mirror. Harry didn’t sleep that night. The same went on for many nights, with him returning back to the mirror just to look at all of them.

The interaction with Dumbledore explained the functioning of the mirror to the Potters. It shows the heart's deepest desire. The fact that Harry’s deepest desire was his family was something wonderful and sad at the same time.

Kids like him must strive for achievements, girlfriends, being a prefect or head boy or doing something great in life that makes them popular. But Harry’s desire was a family he had never met in his life.

Things got worse to Daphne and the Potters as they watched Harry and his friends trying to save a dragon of all things. And then they were appointed a detention in the forbidden forest?!

“What goes on in that school of yours?” Euphemia questioned. She was not happy till now. Schools are places where youngsters learn. Not a place of craziness. And the things she had witnessed until now was not something one would imagine happens in a school.

“Trolls, cerberus and what more and now, he is being sent on a detention to the forbidden forest.” She questioned.

Daphne winced slightly. The older woman would certainly not be pleased to hear about the next years. Nor will the other two. Daphne too would admit that this was crazy. She knew a little about his exploits, but she had no idea that their first year was as adventurous as she had been seeing.

To their growing horror, they watched as Harry came face to face with a wraith that was sucking the life out of a unicorn. At this point, Charlus was apoplectic. His anger had returned in folds.

“There is no way that Dumbledore is not aware of all of this. He is too intelligent for his own good and he would surely know when something like a wraith is loose in the forests. The Headmasters will have information about everything that goes on in the castle and on the grounds.” He raged.

“I smell something here.” He growled. “Charlus?” He stopped stewing when his mother spoke.

“Let us see it first, son.” He agreed. The memory continued playing and the next sequence was that of the golden trio running up to McGonagall and trying to tell her that someone would steal the stone. When she dismissed their claims and stated that Snape was one of them who worked to protect the stone, the three of them rushed back and decided to prevent that from happening.

The three foolish youngsters just rushed head first into the situation and with no help. They crossed the cerberus within an inch of being ripped to pieces. They crossed the devil snare and continued on. They found the charmed key with the help of Harry’s flying skills. The troll that should have stood guard seemed to be in deep sleep. They creeped through and when they came across the chess set, they thought it was over. Somehow, the three prevailed. The Weasley boy sacrificed himself in the game so Harry could go on. A noble action, worthy of Gryffindors.

The potions riddle did pose a bit of a challenge and Hermione Granger had to step up and solve it. At the final confrontation, Harry was all that was left. When he entered the next room, the viewers were surprised to see Snape absent and Quirrell standing there lying in wait. Harry had been so sure that it was Snape that he had ignored Quirrell. The Potters had not guessed that either. Who would have thought that the stuttering Professor could do something like this?

Snape always seemed like the most possible explanation. Quirrell was a man who was afraid of his own shadow. Or so it seemed. But to the growing horror of the others, on the back of his head was another face. Face of the dark lord Voldemort. The altercation between Harry and Voldemort was brutal. Harry was no match to the older man. He was a dark lord and he was a first year Hogwarts student.

The Dark Lord was standing in front of the Mirror that Dumbledore had moved from christmas. When asked to give the stone that somehow had ended up inside the mirror, Harry found his reflection who winked at him and placed a blood red stone into his pocket. The Dark Lord then forced him to give up the stone.

But when the possessed man tried to kill Harry, his hands touched him as he attacked and to the horror of Quirrel, his hands began to burn. Harry sensing an opportunity, used his hands thinking that he was doing damage to the possessed man and he was right. As soon as Harry grabbed hold of the man’s face, he began to burn. The man screamed as he was burnt to ashes, but as the man died, the wraith escaped the burning body and floated towards Harry. Before he could do anything, the wraith slammed into Harry who screamed in agony before going unconscious.

The next thing he knew, Harry was waking up in the infirmary and was greeted by Dumbledore, who then went on to explain what happened under the trapdoor. He spoke in riddles, confusing Harry but providing answers just to keep him of his curiosity. The Potters who watched could understand the man speaking in riddles. They have lived enough to understand the meaning behind the carefully disguised words of Dumbledore, but what would poor Harry know?

They were thrown out of pensive as the memory ended. They stared at each other.

“That was just the first year?” Charlus questioned in shock. “There are still six more years to go and just what more should we see?” He asked rhetorically.

Nobody knew the answer to the question. What they did know was that this was not over by a long stretch. They were now scared to see what the next memories held. It was almost half past seven. Harry should be back. They felt the intense urge to see him and they hastened to do so.

They left the room, anticipating and still dreading what they had to see tomorrow, as they would continue.

TBC—-------------