Flight of the Phoenix

This story is based on characters and situations owned by JK Rowling, and various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copywrite or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter Six

There is a soft knock on the door, “Da Order’s ‘ere ‘Arry.”

“Oh, thanks Hagrid,” Harry calls out as he quickly pulls a shirt over his head. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Sure thing, ‘Arry,” Hagrid says, voice slightly muffled from behind the thick wooden door. Harry quickly shoos his cousin to his room in case Hagrid decides to knock on his door as well.

Once Harry is finished putting on his clothes, as he hadn’t bothered to after his shower, Harry calls his cousin back to his room so that they can go downstairs together. When they arrive at the kitchen Harry is immediately surrounded by Mrs. Weasley who fusses over him until Harry can finally shake the matriarch off.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry says as he takes a seat at the table. Sitting across from him is Ron who gives him an apologetic smile at his Mother’s smothering behavior. Next to Ron is Hermione, then Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Snape. Harry throws a broad smile at his Godfather who gives him a wink.

“Now that we are all here,” Dumbledore begins, “we can discuss Harry’s safety and what to do with his cousin, Dudley.”

“He can’t go back to his home,” Remus says immediately. “The Death Eaters can enter the wards now. It’s far too dangerous.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested that, even if what Rubeus has told me isn’t true.”

“And what exactly is that?” Remus asks Dumbledore, a slight tilt to his head as he questions the grey haired man.

“Exactly the reason I have asked you to come to this meeting, Remus. Harry’s cousin is no longer a muggle. He shall attend Hogwarts this fall and I will need you to tutor him this summer. Hopefully we can get the boy up to speed…”

“Just hold it a minute. Lily’s entire family is muggle. How can he be a wizard?”

“This is precisely why I have asked you to come, Remus. Dudley is not a wizard.”

“What? Is he…is he a were—werewolf?”

“Oh no. Nothing like that, my boy! He’s a giant.”

“A giant!”

“Well, he will be in a few more months.”

“I—I…of course I’ll tutor the boy,” Remus says resignedly as all of his summer plans are now completely void.

“Now that that’s been taken care of,” Dumbledore says, eyes twinkling madly. He opens his mouth as if to speak again but Dudley cuts him off.

“What about my parents? What if these Death Eater things find them? They’ll kill them!”

“Ah, not to worry, my boy! We had your parents obliviated so they—”

“Obliviated?”

“We tweaked bits of their memory so that they believe they are visiting France from Australia. They will go to Sydney after their vacation were they will remain until it is safe for their return.”

“What? Australia! Why can’t they come here?”

Dumbledore sighs and the twinkle in his eyes dim down a little bit. “We had given the option to your parents of course, just as we have given to the Grangers, but they chose to go to Australia, and they asked that once we remove the memory block that they not remember any of this.”

“What do you mean?”

“They have chosen not to affiliate with any type of…unnaturalness.”

“So they…they chose to just forget about me!”

“I’m sorry, my boy.”

Dudley’s shoulders sag as he takes in the words of Dumbledore. All his life he had witnessed the treatment of Harry, and indeed he had participated in some of Harry’s degradation. However, never had Dudley believed that if somehow he became magical his parents would abandon him. The reality was…shocking.

The soft hand on his shoulder takes Dudley out of his brooding despair and he gives his cousin a smile of thanks. It amazes Dudley that after everything he has done to Harry that somehow his cousin seems to care for him. Never in Dudley’s life has he met someone as kind hearted and forgiving as Harry. It made Dudley want to change a little bit, just…a little bit.

“Now, Dudley, you will stay here this summer with Harry of course. You will also remain here with Hermione Granger and her parents who will arrive later this evening. Remus has just agreed to tutor you so him and Sirius will remain here, plus Severus and Rubeus who will drop by periodically.”

“I see.”

“I have asked Rubeus to help you through your change as he is a part giant. Hopefully his guidance will make the change less dramatic for you.”

“I understand.”

“Excellent, my boy! Now, I have spoken with a few of the other Order members and we believe that we have figured out why Voldemort can enter the blood wards now.”

“The graveyard.”

“What’s that, my boy?” Dumbledore asks Harry as the soft voice drifts across the table.

“During the…Triwizard Tournament, after…you know, Voldemort he, he used my blood in a ritual. And, and he was able to touch me! I mean without getting burnt like last time.”

“Yes, I believe this to be the cause.”

“Why did you have me go back to Number Four if you knew that Voldemort could enter the wards?”

“The facts weren’t concrete. Only speculation, my boy! I never—”

“You put Dudley’s life in danger! And what if my Aunt and Uncle had been there? They would be dead now!”

“But I thought your family was horrible to you, Harry,” Hermione says, a slight frown on her face as she eyes Harry’s cousin.

Harry glares at Hermione before crossing his arms defiantly. “Just because they didn’t treat me like I was bloody royalty doesn’t mean they deserve to die!”

“Harry, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant!”

“Forget it,” Harry says, turning his eyes away from the bushy haired girl to stare at the table grain instead.

Dumbledore clears his throat, getting everyone’s attention again. “Yes, well now that we know that Voldemort can enter the wards, during the summer and holidays you will either have to stay here or at Hogwarts.”

“What about the Burrow?”

“Harry, that’s far too dangerous.”

“If it’s too dangerous for me to go then it should be too dangerous for the Weasleys! Voldemort knows that Ron is my best friend, he’ll be targeted. I know it.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have agreed to let Ron stay here in the summers for his safety.”

“What about everybody else? All of the Weasley’s should stay. I’m not going to let anyone else die because of me.”

“Harry,” Sirius says softly, reaching his hand over the table to grasps Harry’s fingers.

“No. I know what you’re going to say. That it wasn’t my fault, right? That I didn’t cast the Avada Kadavra, Wormtail did. But…I was there, I could have done something, anything…” Harry can feel his eyes getting wet and he bites his bottom lip hard to stop the flow. He will not cry.

“Alright,” Dumbledore says once the silence stretches out for a few uncomfortable seconds. “If the Weasley’s agree then they are welcomed to stay here.”

“That’s really not necessary,” Mr. Weasley says in a quick rush.

“Dad, please,” Ron says. “I don’t want to worry about you guys.”

Mr. Weasley stares intently into his son’s blue eyes before giving the Headmaster a nod of consent. Dumbledore claps his hands once and a large tea tray appears on the table. “Now that that’s settled lets have a little bit of tea!”

“Headmaster, I have something I need to discuss with you,” Snape says into the quiet hustle and bustle of everyone preparing their tea. “It is about my Godson.”

“Perhaps we should have this conversation in private,” Dumbledore says quietly to his Potion’s Master.

Snape shakes his head in the negative. “It will be of concern to the people at this table so I shall discuss it here. If that is alright with you?”

“Of course, my boy!”

Snape folds his hands tensely in front of him in a nervous gesture that he hadn’t quite killed since childhood. “For the past few weeks Draco has undergone a few changes that has greatly attracted the Dark Lord’s attention. Lucius is concerned for his son’s safety and has asked if you can grant him protection.”

“Why, of course, my boy!” Severus nods his head in understanding. He knows that the real price for Draco’s protection will be discussed later, in private. “Well, I suppose we should start assigning everyone to a room.” Dumbledore says once everyone has finished their cuppa.

Sirius nods his head as he takes the rightful roll as Head of House, assigning the rooms for his guests. He gives the East Wing to the Weasley family, and the smaller west wing to the Grangers. Harry and Dudley insist that they can share a room once the amount of people arriving is clear. Sirius is grateful to his Godson because Draco would be forced to sleep on the couch as all the other rooms have too many dark artifacts at the moment. Way too dangerous for anyone to be left alone in.

“How many people should I have Kretcher cook dinner for? The Granger’s are to arrive tonight but what about the Weasleys?”

“We shall be back before nightfall,” Author says as he leads his wife to the floo.

Sirius nods before turning to Snape. “Will my cousin be here this evening as well?”

“Yes,” Snape says softly to Sirius though he keeps throwing weary looks at Dumbledore. Sirius frowns in confusion at Snape’s tone. The man had never been this civil to him before. It was…disconcerting.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Weasley leave the room Dumbledore goes to the floo and calls Snape with him. Sirius can see how tense Snape’s shoulders are but the man doesn’t falter as he steps into the floo.

“We should give them some privacy. They probably wish to speak alone.” Sirius jumps slightly at the voice whispering in his ear. Remus is the only person who could ever sneak past Sirius. Sirius nods his head in understanding before Remus leads him out of the kitchen. Now the only occupants left are Harry, Dudley, Ron, and Hermione.

“I think we should have this conversation in my room. It’s much more private than the kitchen.”

“Of course, mate,” Ron grins at Harry as he throws his arm over his shoulders. Dudley feels a small bit of irritation at the gesture but ignores it. “At least the twins aren’t here. They can sabotage anything.”

Harry laughs at the look of remembered horror on Ron’s face as he leads the red head to his and now Dudley’s room. Harry has to forcefully turn his thoughts to Dumbledore to get his raging erection under control. Harry barely has the door closed before the line of questioning begins: “Harry, are you ok?” “How did you escape the Death Eaters?” “Did you duel you-know-who?”

“Woa, just one question at a time,” Harry says as he leans back on the King sized canopy bed. Dudley lies on the bed next to him, feet dangling over the edge as his large form takes up more than half the bed. Hermione frowns.

“I’ll ask Sirius to bring another bed in for you two.”

Dudley shrugs but Harry glares at Hermione. “Only two twin beds will fit in here. I’d rather have one King. Much more comfortable.”

“But it’s improper!”

“Fred and George share a bed,” Ron says partly confused, partly trying to help.

Hermione turns her glare to Ron. “That’s different! Those two are brothers.”

“And Dudley and I are cousins.”

Hermione face begins to turn a deep shade of red. “But you and Dudley hate each other!”

“No we don’t.”

“He’s been horrible to you for your whole life, Harry. He shouldn’t even be here!”

Harry growls before standing up from the bed. “Dudley is my family, not yours. And Sirius is my Godfather. Remember that.”

It appears as if Hermione is going to cry. “But…but I’m one of your best friends! How can you choose that bully over me?”

“Hermione, I love you but…I…” Harry turns back to the bed before climbing on next to Dudley. He takes his cousins hand in his own as he leans his head on Dudley’s shoulder. Absently Dudley runs his fingers through the wild strands. Hermione eyes seem as if they will pop out of her head. “What do you know about creature inheritances, Hermione?”

The soft questioning seems to have Hermione back on steadier ground as all the information she’s ever read begins to spin and zoom around in her brain. “Creature inheritances happen on the fifteenth birthday.”

Harry nods his head as he snuggles more deeply into Dudley’s side. “And what about giant inheritances? What do you know about those?”

Hermione eyebrows furrow as her brain digs out the information. “Er…let’s see.” There is a short silence as she thinks a little longer. “Ah hah!” she says with triumph. “Giant inheritances only happen if someone of giant decent has sexual intercourse with a stronger person physically or magically. This submissive partner is commonly referred to as a catalyst. No matter how diluted a giant’s blood is, if he has sex with a catalyst he will begin his inheritance.”

“Now Hermione, Hogwarts has called you one of the smartest witches of the ages.” Hermione beams at the compliment. No matter what people can say about her blood there is nothing that they can say about her brain. “How often is it that a giant has sex with a physically stronger partner?”

“Very rare. Usually a giant inheritance happens due to a person’s magic, not their physical strength. A giant’s physical strength is hard to match.”

Harry nods his head. “Exactly. Now think about where Dudley lives. How many witches or wizards do you think are even remotely close to Privet Drive?”

“Well, there is you, but besides that, I don’t know.” Hermione shrugs in indifference and Harry just stares at her, counting down the seconds: five, four, three, two…“Oh, my god! Harry, surely you’re not…?”

“Not what, Hermione?”

Hermione stutters for a few more seconds before taking in a deep breath. “Are you having sex with your cousin?”

“Hmm,” Harry says as he taps his chin with a forefinger, humming softly as if in contemplation. He can see Hermione fists clench as she waits for his answer. “Hermione, you are one of the smartest witches of the ages!”

All of the color seems to drain from Hermione’s face. “You...you!” She licks her lips nervously, “you are having sex with your cousin. You turned your cousin into a giant!”

“Right, you are.”

Hermione stares at Harry in shock, and the seconds tick by as she just stares at Harry silently, not believing. But when Dudley pulls Harry's head up by his hair, lowering his mouth to kiss him, that is all the proof that Hermione needs.

“That is disgusting.”

Harry just continues to kiss Dudley and Ron turns to Hermione in confusion. “Same sex couples can have children so…”

“That’s not what I’m talking about!”

“Oh?” Ron asks, more confusion clouding his voice.

Hermione just glares at him. Sometimes she wonders how she could have been friends with such an idiot for so long. “I am talking about incest, Ron?”

“Oh, that?” Ron lets out a short laugh but stops when Hermione continues to glare at him. “Er…where you serious?” Ron laughs again but when Hermione glare doesn’t leave her face he clears his throat uncomfortably. “No one cares about incest in the magical world.”

“What?” Hermione asks in confusion. Perhaps she’s heard wrong. It seems as if her whole world has been flipped upside down. How could Harry prefer his bully of a cousin over her. She was a girl. Not only that, but after last year’s ball with Victor Krum no one could deny that she was attractive. But most importantly of all Hermione is one of the smartest witches of the ages. She deserves the best and there is no one better than Harry Potter.

“Yea. Fred and George have been sleeping together for ages. Mum and Dad were glad when they found out ‘cause Ginny was getting too big to share a bed with them. They were beginning to wonder were she would sleep. You know, ‘cause they wanted to start working on another little girl,” Ron quivers in fear at the mental image of his parents having sex.

“Wait. Fred and George, ar—are…”

“Lovers? Yea, since like forever. I mean they didn’t have sex of course, not for a long time, but they kissed and stuff. It was Dad who found out first. He caught them in the garden shed. How embarrassing.” Ron giggles a bit at the thought of his Dad finding his brothers in a compromising position. The only thing worse would be if his Mum had found them.

Hermione can’t believe the things she is hearing. Ever since she got her Hogwarts letter she believed that she was blessed enough to be one of the few who got accepted into a higher world. Hermione is better than muggles because she is magical. And that makes her feel like she matters, even if she is shunned in the wizarding world. She uses her intelligence to make up for that though. But now, hearing what is coming out of Ron’s mouth…But no, that isn’t the worse. The worse is Harry. Ron is a pureblood so of course his beliefs would be skewed, even if his family is a light family. But Harry, Harry was like her. Raised by muggles so how could he have turned out so wrong?

“Incest is disgusting. If someone has a baby it will come out retarded, Ron. How stupid can you purebloods be?”

“Magical people don’t have to worry about stuff like that. That’s why we have magic; it protects us from disabilities. The only way someone could turn retarded is if they dally too much in the dark arts. That’s why it’s illegal. There aren’t enough of us magical folks as it is so the ministry banned it a couple hundred years ago because it was so common and half of the population was falling under the influence. Basically it’s like if someone crucio’d you for a very long time. You just start to go insane. But not even that it’s the fact that the dark arts drains the witch’s or wizard’s magic so only really powerful people can use it without damaging theirself. Light magic is mostly earth magic that witches and wizards channel through their wands. But dark magic goes against nature so it has to use the person’s magical force in order to work. Dark witches and wizards are likely to have squibs if they practice the dark arts for too long. That’s why it was banned.”

Hermione can’t believe her ears. It sounds as if Ron is almost for the dark arts. It is unthinkable. Even if Hermione believes herself to be better than regular muggles she is a muggleborn and there is no way she can even slightly support something that has the intent of killing off muggles and muggleborns.

“There is something wrong with you. With all of you! I can forgive Ron because he was born into this madness, but you Harry, you…”

“Hermione, my Dad was a pureblood. Most likely he has the same views as Ron does.”

“What about your Mum? She is probably rolling around in her grave as we speak!”

Harry throws Hermione a sad smile. “That may be true, but I’ll never know, right? My parents are dead.”

“Harry, I—”

“Just go, Hermione. I don’t think this friendship is going to work anymore. You’ve made it pretty clear how you feel about my family. At least Voldemort is honest about the fact that he wants to kill me, and that he will use my family to get to me. But you practically asked me why I didn’t let the Dursleys die, or why I wasn’t happy that they might have. Incest is debatable, whether it’s gross or not depends on which world you are in. But you, your beliefs, those are gross, disgusting as you would say, no matter which world you belong to.”

Tbc...